US briefly grounds flights nationwide due to communication issues
What's the story
The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) lifted a nationwide ground stop, issued Friday afternoon (local time), after a communications issue at regional air traffic control centers. The problem, caused by a telecommunications outage, led to the diversion of at least 600 flights nationwide. The FAA said there was no indication that this communications failure was linked to any cyberattack.
Travel disruption
FAA probes communication issue
The FAA's notice cited "extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety" for the restrictions.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the agency was probing a communication issue affecting 22 regional air traffic control centers.
The disruption impacted thousands of planned flights through at least Friday night and left many passengers stranded across airports.
At least 827 flights have been diverted so far as a result, the Associated Press reported.
Airline response
Impact on airlines and cargo flights
About 11,000 flights scheduled after 4pm EST in the US may lead to more cancellations and diversions for over 1.5 million passengers.
United Airlines and American Airlines have assured that flights already in the air will continue.
American Airlines said it would do everything possible to get customers on their way as soon as possible when the FAA lifted the ground stop.
The disruption also affected cargo flights, with FedEx ready to activate contingency plans to minimize any disruptions.
Ongoing investigation
No indication of nefarious attack
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said there was no indication that the communications failure was a nefarious attack.
He assured reporters at the White House that "Everybody's safe," and there was no reason for concern.
The FAA is investigating whether this incident is linked to its recent rollout of a new artificial intelligence system designed to help identify problems and reroute planes.
Technology upgrade
Government working on modernizing outdated technology
The government has been working on modernizing outdated technology used by air traffic controllers since Congress approved a $12.5 billion project last year. However, further funding is required to complete this work.
As per AP, aviation safety expert Steve Arroyo said the problem was similar to a regional air traffic control communication outage in September that affected hundreds of flights across the Northeast.