The FAA halted departures from U.S. airports after a communications failure affected air traffic control centers nationwide on Nov. 13. (Foto: Instagram)
President Donald Trump said Friday, Nov. 13, that the nationwide suspension of airport departures in the United States did not appear to have been caused by a cyberattack or the use of artificial intelligence. Neither Trump nor federal agencies had explained the precise cause of the disruption.
Trump made the remarks in a phone interview with Fox News journalist Peter Doocy after a communications failure affected the country’s air traffic control centers. The Federal Aviation Administration ordered departures halted nationwide, citing safety concerns and what it called extraordinary circumstances. The suspension had no announced end time.
More than 10,000 flights had been canceled or delayed, according to flight-tracking service FlightAware. The disruption also complicated international travel plans. Flights arriving from abroad were being handled individually, rather than under a single blanket procedure.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the government had found no evidence of a cyberattack. He attributed the disruption to a temporary failure in telecommunications services and said the incident did not pose a threat comparable to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed that the communications problem affected all U.S. air traffic control centers. In a social media post, he said FAA technicians were investigating and that officials would provide more information when it became available. The agency directed aircraft scheduled to depart from U.S. airports to remain on the ground until further notice.
The FAA said it had identified all aircraft already in the air and would manage international arrivals on a case-by-case basis. Depending on operating and safety conditions, planes in flight might have to circle while waiting for permission to land. The agency had not given a timeline for lifting the departure suspension.
A nationwide halt to departures is an exceptional measure in the United States. The last such incident occurred in January 2023, when a failure in the system used to notify pilots led to a suspension of departures. Before that, the restriction was imposed after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
