Tagesschau Ausland17 minutes agoWorld2 min readGermany

Temporary take-off ban in the USA: “Incredibly outdated air traffic control system”

Almost 7,500 flights canceled, Minister Duffy blames outdated technology

Quick Look

A nationwide stop-start at US airports was lifted after around four hours.
Almost 7,500 flights were canceled and thousands more postponed.
Homeland Security Secretary Mullin and Transportation Secretary Duffy ruled out a cyberattack and blamed the outage on a telecommunications outage and outdated routers.

AI-generated summary

Why It Matters

It was the third time ever that the US Federal Aviation Administration has imposed a nationwide take-off stop. The last time this happened was in 2023 due to a failure of an FAA computer system. The first nationwide launch ban came after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

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All takeoffs at US airports were stopped for around four hours. The stop was then lifted again at 8:15 p.m. US Eastern Time, 2:15 a.m. in Germany.

By this point, almost 6,700 flights had been canceled, and two hours later the number had risen to almost 7,500 canceled flights. In addition, thousands of flights have been postponed.

"Telecommunications disruption"

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy appeared together in front of the press at the White House: "From what we know, it was not a cyberattack," emphasized Mullin.

The reason was rather a disruption in telecommunications. At no time were human lives at risk or aircraft in danger.

Duffy blames outdated technology. "We have an incredibly outdated air traffic control system. The routers were overloaded. There were inconsistencies in the data. That's why we shut down the system," explained Duffy.

He has long been demanding more money from Congress for modernization: at least $30 billion, said Duffy. Just last year, Congress gave the Department of Transportation $12.5 billion to begin modernizing the nation's air traffic control infrastructure.

It is unclear when air traffic will return to normal

It is unclear when air traffic will return to normal. Duffy expects it will take some time. Hopefully there will be more flights again on Saturday.

Until then, thousands of passengers will still be stuck at the airports. But most people take it in stride. Like this passenger stuck at Chicago airport trying to get to Toronto: "What do you want to do? If you get angry, you lose."

Third US-wide start-stop

The discussion about the consequences will gain momentum in the coming days. It was only the third time ever that the US Federal Aviation Administration has imposed a nationwide take-off stop.

This was last the case in 2023. At that time, an FAA computer system failed. The first nationwide launch ban came after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

What to Watch

AI outlook — possibilities, not facts

Air traffic will gradually return to normal in the coming days
Likely · Within days
The discussion about modernizing the air traffic control system will gain momentum in the coming days
Likely · Within days

Open Questions

When air traffic will fully return to normal
Whether Congress will approve the required $30 billion for modernization
What specific technical causes triggered the data discrepancies