# Faulty router during US air traffic upgrade halted domestic departures

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/copper-wire-upgrade-caused-nationwide-flight-suspension-us-transport-secretary-says/
- Published: 2026-11-14T19:12:25+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-14T21:19:20+00:00
- Original publisher: BBC World (publisher lean: Centre)
- Original article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c6wy9lynq4qno?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss
- Topics: Americas, Culture, Government, Politics, Travel, World

## Key points

- A router fault during an upgrade halted US domestic departures for over four hours.
- More than 3,500 flights were cancelled and 2,000 delayed the next day.
- Officials are investigating as calls grow for $30.1bn in air traffic upgrades.

## Summary

A faulty router being worked on during a US air traffic communications upgrade triggered a nationwide ground stop, halting domestic departures for more than four hours on Friday. Transport Secretary Sean Duffy said the router flooded other control systems and disrupted communication with aircraft, prompting the shutdown on safety grounds; investigators are examining whether contractor error or faulty equipment was responsible.

More than 3,500 flights were cancelled and over 2,000 delayed on Saturday as disruption continued. Contractor L3Harris said it had completed more than 70% of the modernisation work, which is replacing ageing copper wire with fibre. Officials said they had found no evidence of a cyber-attack or anything nefarious, while Duffy warned that further problems could occur without wider air traffic control upgrades; President Donald Trump has requested $30.1bn for them.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.