The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered this Friday (13) the suspension of takeoffs at all airports in the country. Landings are permitted, and there is no forecast of normalization of air flow.
The measure is due to a communication problem that affects all air traffic control centers on American routes, federal authorities said. Donald Trump's government denies signs of a cyber attack or threats, but has avoided ruling out any hypothesis.
As of 8pm (Brasília time), more than 10,000 flights in the US had already been delayed or cancelled, according to data from flight monitoring platform FlightAware.
The last time the United States ordered a nationwide suspension of takeoffs was in January 2023, when the pilot notification system failed. At the time, the suspension lasted just under two hours, despite the system failure having lasted 12 hours. Before that, the measure had been adopted after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said that members of the Trump administration do not suspect sabotage or deliberate attack as the cause of the failure. "So far, there is no indication that it was a malicious attack against us. For now, it is just an interruption in telecommunications," he said.
Despite this, he stated that he does not rule out any hypothesis, including failures related to artificial intelligence. "Incoming flights, whether international or those already in the air, will be handled on a case-by-case basis. There will be a priority list as these aircraft approach."
Mullin stated that there was an overload of some communication systems and said that there is no deadline for restarting takeoffs. "I want to reinforce this once again: there is no reason for people to be afraid or worried about their loved ones. This is not another 9/11," he said. "This is a telecommunications failure. It's a very different situation."
According to Bloomberg, the FBI, the American federal police, does not believe that the communication failure was caused by a cyber attack or criminal activity. Microsoft also issued a statement stating that the crisis is not related to the global systems crash that affected its technologies.
Shortly before the announcement, the FAA had suspended air traffic in Chicago due to communications problems in air traffic control. The agency stated that "all flights scheduled to depart must remain grounded until further notice." According to the FAA, international flights will be handled on a case-by-case basis.
At Detroit airport, the circulation of passenger carts was suspended for security reasons, according to warnings broadcast over the terminal's sound system. Passengers were also advised by staff not to leave luggage unattended.
Hours later, passengers began to leave the place. Passengers on canceled flights were advised to proceed to baggage claim areas and try to reschedule their flights. All flight information panels were out of date. There was no information about cancellations, which were sent via messages to passengers who registered their trips on the airline apps.
A Brazilian woman who was on a plane in Los Angeles, bound for Washington, claims that she and the passengers were on board, but were warned by the pilot that they would not be able to take off. "They said it could be for safety reasons," said Raquel Pires, 47. "The news is coming online, but the pilot hasn't confirmed anything yet."
Eurocontrol, the intergovernmental organization responsible for coordinating and managing air traffic in 42 European and neighboring countries, suspended flights to the USA, following the FAA's request. The body brings together 42 member countries, such as the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Israel and Turkey.
In a statement, United Airlines said it is complying with the national takeoff suspension order issued by the FAA. According to the company, flights that are already in the air will continue normally, but new domestic departures will remain suspended while the determination is in force.
In a statement, Airlines for America, an association that represents US airlines, stated that customers should stay in touch with companies to receive updates about their flights. The group also said it was closely monitoring the situation with authorities. "Safety is always our highest priority."
The failure occurs about two weeks before Thanksgiving, on November 26, one of the busiest periods at American airports. According to Airlines for America, US companies are expected to transport, on average, around 2.7 million passengers per day during the holiday.
American Airlines also issued a statement, saying it expected impacts "on the airline network for the rest of the day" and confirming that landings are planned. In addition, the airline said that "the entire American team will be fully mobilized so that our customers can continue their journey as quickly as possible as soon as the FAA allows takeoffs."
The suspension is expected to have repercussions for days at airports around the world. This is because flight delays and cancellations impact subsequent flights, in a cascading effect.
According to CNN, parts of American airspace entered a state of "ATC Zero" this Friday. The term is used when no air traffic control services can be provided.
In audio obtained by the website ATC.com, a controller warned pilots approaching Chicago about the situation: "Approach control is in ATC Zero, and the Chicago Center is close to also entering that state due to equipment problems." The airport had traffic interrupted before the general announcement.
According to the professional, controllers had lost all communication frequencies and automated systems used to transfer aircraft tracking and record flight information.
Although aircraft can continue flying in airspace without air traffic control under visual flight rules, most planes must be diverted, prevented from taking off or grounded. Controllers use radio frequencies to communicate with pilots and paper logs or electronic systems to monitor aircraft movements.
Last year, Congress approved $12.5 billion to modernize the FAA's aging communications system. This Friday, the agency and the White House asked the Legislature for an additional $30.1 billion to solve other problems.
