Thousands of US flights still cancelled or delayed two days after grounding of planes nationwide
A nationwide air-traffic control outage triggered a temporary ground stop, triggering widespread disruption as thousands of flights were canceled or delayed and aircraft remained out of position. Normal operations were not expected to resume until at least Monday, with officials blaming a failed router introduced during a copper-to-fibre upgrade and warning that the system requires a comprehensive overhaul. The incident disrupted international schedules and exposed decades of underinvestment in US aviation infrastructure, prompting calls for urgent funding and modernization. Experts characterize the current system as outdated, and the episode underscored the fragile links between legacy technology and global travel. Forward outlook centers on major upgrades to restore reliability and prevent future outages.
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At the height of the disruption, more than 3,500 airplanes were in the air when the FAA halted departures; subsequently, over 5,000 flights were delayed and about 2,000 were canceled on Sunday, with the ground stop lifting after around four and a half hours.
Officials identified the root cause as a router upgrade from copper to fibre that flooded the network with faulty signals after being installed in El Dorado, Arkansas; they emphasized there was no evidence of a cyber-attack.
The stoppage trapped passengers on planes on runways and left others stranded in airports, while some flights were diverted or proceeded to their destinations, creating knock-on effects across global schedules.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy described the situation as a symptom of a neglected, aging system and signaled that issues would persist until the air-traffic control network undergoes substantial modernization, with a timeline extending beyond the immediate incident.
President Trump urged Congress to fund modernization efforts, arguing the current system is old and needs comprehensive, multi-year investment to be rebuilt quickly and effectively.
Over the weekend, activity remained chaotic: Saturday saw about 5,900 cancellations and 7,000-plus delays as airlines attempted to recover from the previous day’s outage, complicating travel plans worldwide.
Analysts and commentators criticized the antiquated technology underpinning US flight communications, with experts likening the system to infrastructure that has decayed and requires a drastic upgrade rather than incremental fixes.