U.S. Aviation Chaos as Air Traffic Control Communications Fail... Nationwide Ground Stop Drags On (Roundup)

[Financial News] The suspension of aircraft takeoffs at airports across the United States has dragged on, spreading aviation chaos.
A failure in the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) air traffic control communications network is believed to be the cause. This is the third time all departing flights across the United States have been halted, after the September 11 attacks in 2001 and in January 2023.
According to major foreign media outlets, including the Associated Press, CNN, CBS News and The Guardian, the FAA ordered departing flights to be halted at airports across the United States at around 3:54 p.m. on the 13th (local time).

The U.S. Department of Transportation said the cause was a communications failure that affected 22 air route traffic control centers nationwide. These centers are critical facilities that adjust the flight paths and altitudes of aircraft traveling between airports and maintain safe separation.
The FAA ordered all departing flights to remain on the ground for safety reasons. Aircraft already in the air were allowed to land, but aircraft on the ground were not allowed to take off. An exception was made for international flights arriving in the United States, which were allowed to operate depending on individual circumstances.
As of 8 a.m. on the 14th Korean time, the effects of the nationwide suspension of operations were still being felt.
According to flight-tracking service FlightAware, as of 6:04 p.m. Eastern time on the 13th, 10,494 flights had been delayed and 1,913 canceled. Flightradar24 reported that, as of 6:55 p.m. that day, the number of aircraft in the air among flights bound for the United States had fallen to about 1,000, from the usual roughly 4,500 on a Friday evening. This means aircraft operations were well below normal levels.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said, “So far, there is no evidence of malicious activity, such as a cyberattack or terrorism,” adding, “We currently believe it was a communications failure, but we are investigating the exact cause and are not ruling out other possibilities.”
The FAA has deployed technical teams to determine the cause of the failure.
[email protected] Lee Gu-sun Reporter