What to Know About Continued Flight Disruptions

A failed upgrade to the Federal Aviation Administration’s air traffic communications system caused a rare nationwide ground stop on Friday, leaving thousands of passengers stranded and disrupting flights into Saturday. Officials expect air traffic control to recover by Sunday night, but airlines may need several days to restore normal schedules.

The contractor L3Harris was replacing copper wire with fibre-optic cable at a remote location when the system was overwhelmed by data, triggering communications failures. Officials have not determined whether the contractor or faulty equipment was responsible, and said there was no evidence of a cyberattack or the agency’s A.I. technology being involved. The disruption halted thousands of flights, while debate over air safety funding intensified: the transport secretary requested $50 billion for modernisation, after Congress approved $12.5 billion last year.