WASHINGTON, USA – The US Federal Aviation Administration grounded all departing flights nationwide on Friday, November 13, after a communications failure hit air traffic control centers, in only the second such shutdown since the September 11, 2001, attacks.
The shutdown caused chaos at airports, with airlines canceling more than 1,000 flights and delaying nearly 10,000, according to flight-tracking service FlightAware. Thousands of aircraft already in the air were allowed to land, while those on the ground could not take off. The disruption quickly spread beyond the United States, forcing the cancellation of flights from Canada and Europe.
The Department of Homeland Security said there were no signs the outage was caused by a cyberattack.
“There is no indication as of yet that this was a nefarious attack against us. It’s just a telecommunication outage as of right now,” Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin told reporters outside the White House, adding that President Donald Trump had been briefed.
“There’s no reason for the public to be afraid or scared for your loved ones. This isn’t another 9/11,” Mullin added.
Mullin said the department was examining all possible causes, including a new AI-powered air traffic control system.
The disruption is the latest and most dramatic sign of strain on a US air traffic control system beset by equipment and communications failures, controller…
