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United States resumes air traffic after nearly five-hour shutdown that forced 6,000 flight cancellations
A communications system failure forced the Federal Aviation Administration to suspend almost all domestic US flights for nearly five hours on Friday. The precautionary shutdown stranded passengers and disrupted air travel nationwide, with knock-on effects expected to last for days.
More than 6,500 flights were cancelled and nearly 10,000 delayed by the end of the day; over 1,500 more cancellations had already been recorded for Saturday. Officials said the system became unstable during equipment upgrades, and that more than 3,500 aircraft were airborne when the shutdown began. They reported no indication of sabotage and said no flights were in danger, while an investigation continued.
In short
- A system failure halted most US domestic flights for nearly five hours.
- More than 6,500 flights were cancelled and nearly 10,000 delayed.
- Disruption could continue for days as officials investigate outdated technology.
Explained simply
The Federal Aviation Administration, or FAA, is the US government body responsible for managing the country’s civil air traffic. It coordinates with airlines and air traffic controllers to keep aircraft separated and organise flights across the national network.
US air travel depends on communications systems that allow the FAA to share safety information with pilots and controllers. If those systems fail or become unreliable, the agency can restrict or stop departures while it assesses the risk, affecting flights well beyond the place where the problem began.
Airlines, airports and passengers can all be affected when flights are grounded: cancellations and delays can disrupt connections and leave aircraft and crews out of position. The FAA’s investigation matters for understanding what failed and whether changes to equipment or procedures are needed to reduce the chance of a similar disruption.