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FAA contractor, router focus of investigation into air traffic halt

FAA contractor, router focus of investigation into air traffic halt

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said work on an individual router being done by contractor L3Harris led to the air traffic shutdown.

Flight disruptions continue, but schedules to get back to normal: What to know

Flight disruptions continue, but schedules to get back to normal: What to know

U.S. air travel remained disrupted on the morning of Nov. 15 after more than 15,000 flights were canceled the previous two days.

L3Harris Technologies Crew Linked to Nationwide FAA Flight Stoppage During Network Upgrade

L3Harris Technologies Crew Linked to Nationwide FAA Flight Stoppage During Network Upgrade

A nationwide ground stop for flights across the U.S. occurred after an L3Harris Technologies contractor crew was working on the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) air traffic control network. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stated that the crew was at a remote FAA site on Friday afternoon, switching telecommunication lines from old copper wire to fiber. This fiber upgrade work has been ongoing for months across numerous facilities. During this process, a router began to flood other routers within the air traffic control system with over 1,000 connection attempts every four to five seconds. The instability in radar and communications began at 3:36 p.m. ET, leading to the system shutdown. The FAA ordered a nearly five-hour nationwide ground stop, marking the longest such halt since September 11, 2001. Once the issue at the remote site was isolated, all systems came back online. Officials are currently investigating whether the incident was due to user error by the L3Harris crew or a faulty router. Cyb...

Could everything be broken? Grounded jets, Microsoft outage, AI chaos make some wonder

Could everything be broken? Grounded jets, Microsoft outage, AI chaos make some wonder

After the Silicon Valley chaos spurred by reports of an AI billionaire's affair with a suspected Chinese spy and the Microsoft outage that upended millions of workers' days, Friday's air travel ground stop across the U.S. had many people feeling that something was up

Transportation head vows to find 'root cause' of ground stop. Trump breaks his silence on breakdown

Transportation head vows to find 'root cause' of ground stop. Trump breaks his silence on breakdown

President Donald Trump's transportation secretary says the government wants to be certain it determines the “root cause” of the problems that led to the grounding of planes across the United States before making broad fixes to air traffic control

FAA Lifts Nationwide Ground Stop After Air Traffic Network Failure, President Trump Briefed

FAA Lifts Nationwide Ground Stop After Air Traffic Network Failure, President Trump Briefed

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) lifted a nationwide ground stop after a communications failure in air traffic control centers caused widespread disruption at U.S. airports. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced that U.S. airspace reopened at 8:15 pm Eastern Time, though departures would resume gradually. The incident, which led to over 6,600 flight cancellations and 8,600 delays, was the longest shutdown since September 11, 2001. Secretary Duffy and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin met with President Trump in the Oval Office to discuss the outage. The failure was attributed to an overload of data in radar and communications systems, causing inconsistencies and necessitating a system shutdown. Secretary Mullin stated there was no evidence of a cyberattack or rogue AI system, suggesting a mechanical cause.

'Not meant to fly': Passengers describe standstill in airports across US

'Not meant to fly': Passengers describe standstill in airports across US

Tens of thousands of travelers are stranded after the FAA issued a nationwide ground stop citing safety concerns.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy Calls for $50 Billion to Modernize Outdated Air Traffic Control Systems

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy Calls for $50 Billion to Modernize Outdated Air Traffic Control Systems

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has requested $50 billion from Congress to modernize the nation's air traffic control systems, following a nationwide ground stop caused by a telecommunications outage. Duffy stated that the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) routers were overloaded with data, leading to the system shutdown. This incident resulted in thousands of flight cancellations and delays across the U.S. Duffy emphasized that the public was never in danger and that the shutdown was a precautionary measure. He attributed the failure to an 'incredibly old air traffic control system' and dismissed any connection to recent Microsoft outages or the FAA's new Strategic Management of Airspace, Routing and Trajectories (SMART) AI tool. While Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has not entirely ruled out a cyberattack, he and Duffy maintained that the analog system's age was the primary cause.

US flight shutdown exposes deepening air traffic network crisis

US flight shutdown exposes deepening air traffic network crisis

By Rajesh Kumar Singh CHICAGO, Nov 13 (Reuters) - A communications failure that halted flight departures across the United States on Friday has renewed scrutiny of the country's aging air traffic control network, raising questions about its resilience even as the government spends billions of

US to resume flights after air traffic communications failure sparks chaos

US to resume flights after air traffic communications failure sparks chaos

By David Shepardson, Doyinsola Oladipo and Rajesh Kumar Singh WASHINGTON, Nov 13 (Reuters) - The U.S.

FAA Lifts Nationwide Ground Stop After Communications Failure, Transportation Secretary Calls for $50 Billion Overhaul

FAA Lifts Nationwide Ground Stop After Communications Failure, Transportation Secretary Calls for $50 Billion Overhaul

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) lifted a nationwide ground stop on Friday after a communications failure at air traffic control centers caused widespread chaos at US airports. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced that US airspace reopened at 8:15 p.m. Eastern Time, but warned that departures would resume gradually, and it would take time for airlines to restore normal operations. The incident led to the cancellation of over 6,600 flights and the delay of 8,600, with an additional 1,500 flights already canceled for Sunday. Secretary Duffy explained that the trouble began at 3:36 p.m. when radar and communications systems experienced instability due to overloaded switches and routers. He clarified that while the system was shut down to prevent data inconsistencies, radar and communications were never completely lost, allowing thousands of planes to land safely. Secretary Duffy and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin met with President Trump in the Oval Office to discuss the outage...

FAA Investigates L3Harris for Role in Nationwide Air Traffic Control Outage

FAA Investigates L3Harris for Role in Nationwide Air Traffic Control Outage

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investigating L3Harris Technologies Inc. for its potential role in a nationwide air traffic control shutdown on November 13. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stated that the disruption occurred during L3Harris's conversion of a copper network to fiber at a remote FAA facility. A router, part of the L3Harris operation, reportedly overwhelmed other routers with over 1,000 connection requests every 4 to 5 seconds, leading to a loss of aircraft communications and some radar feeds. This incident caused the longest nationwide flight halt since the September 11, 2001 attacks. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford reported that approximately 12,000 flights were canceled on Friday, with an additional 4,000 to 5,000 cancellations projected for Saturday out of 41,000 scheduled flights. Secretary Duffy indicated that investigators are looking into whether the cause was 'incompetence,' suggesting a possible installation error or a faulty router, but emphasized that the exact fa...