Thousands of flights canceled: Planes in the USA are allowed to take off again

All aircraft in the USA had to remain on the ground for around four hours. The airspace is now open again. Homeland Security Secretary Mullin emphasized that there was no danger to the population.

The US aviation authority FAA said it lifted the nationwide flight ban for thousands of aircraft on Friday (local time). "There is so far no evidence of a malicious attack against us. According to current information, it is simply a disruption in telecommunications," US Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin told reporters at the White House. The FAA had imposed the order on all departures due to extraordinary circumstances and for safety reasons.

According to US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, there were serious connection problems in all air traffic control centers. This was the longest interruption of this kind since the attacks of September 11, 2001. According to the flight data service Flightradar24, more than 4,700 flights were canceled and 10,000 more were delayed. 700 connections were canceled for Saturday.

Machines that had already taken off were still allowed to land. Some international flights were also cleared to take off from airports on the US coast; The authority decided on incoming foreign flights on a case-by-case basis. Airlines canceled some connections from Europe and Canada to the USA.

The Department of Homeland Security said there were no signs of a cyberattack. "There is no reason for people to be afraid or to worry about relatives. This is not a second September 11th," emphasized department head Mullin. The public was never in danger. Transport Minister Duffy said switches and routers were overwhelmed by the amount of data and collapsed. However, there was no complete interruption in either telecommunications or radar systems during the flight stop.

A nationwide FAA order of this magnitude had only occurred once before: In January 2023, the authority grounded all domestic flights for less than two hours. The US air traffic control system suffers from technical and communication disruptions, a lack of air traffic controllers and outdated infrastructure. Many FAA systems have been in use for decades. Congress approved $12.5 billion last year to modernize the FAA's communications system. The agency and the White House also requested $30.1 billion from Congress to address further deficiencies.