The United States is experiencing a widespread air traffic shutdown following the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) decision to suspend all departing flights nationwide, marking the second such stoppage since the September 11 attacks.
This sudden move led to the cancellation of over 1,000 flights and delays for nearly 10,000 others, with thousands of planes grounded unable to take off, although those already airborne were allowed to land. The disruption extended beyond U.S. borders, impacting air navigation in Canada and Europe, causing numerous international airlines to cancel flights to the U.S.
President Donald Trump ruled out coordinated cyberattacks or artificial intelligence-related issues as causes of the malfunction, affirming close monitoring by authorities investigating the root causes. The Department of Homeland Security reported no evidence pointing to sabotage or malicious attack, attributing the outage to communication failures and urging the public not to panic.
Authorities are also examining a new AI-based air traffic control system as part of their investigation. Microsoft denied any involvement of its technologies in the outage amidst questions regarding the reliance of U.S. air infrastructure on major tech companies' systems.
At U.S. airports, stranded passengers after widespread cancellations highlighted ongoing strains on the air traffic control system, which suffers from aging infrastructure, a shortage of air traffic controllers, and frequent equipment malfunctions.
Concerns are mounting ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday, a peak travel period, with fears over potential further disruptions, waning passenger confidence in the safety of the air system, and broader economic repercussions for the transportation sector and markets worldwide.