Overview
- A nationwide ground stop halted all departing U.S. flights on Friday, Nov. 13, and was lifted at 8:15 p.m. Eastern after FAA testing confirmed system stability.
- Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said newly connected upgrades overloaded legacy switches and routers, producing inconsistent data that forced the safety pause while controllers safely landed airborne planes.
- The stoppage disrupted thousands of flights, with flight‑tracking firms reporting more than 6,000 to 10,000 flights affected and airlines cancelling or delaying thousands as they reposition aircraft and crews.
- Federal investigators including the Department of Homeland Security and the National Security Agency are probing the technical root causes, and officials say there is no confirmed evidence so far of a cyberattack.
- The episode renewed administration appeals to Congress for tens of billions in additional funding to replace aging telecom lines and control‑center equipment and finish an ongoing multi‑year modernization effort.