Air traffic control, phone systems and emails are all down following China’s AI espionage scandal — is there a common answer?

A series of unprecedented blackouts in the United States have left air traffic control, phone systems and email services down following allegations of Chinese AI espionage. The Federal Aviation Administration grounded every departing flight in the country, citing "extraordinary circumstances and reasons of safety." Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy attributed the issue to a "communication issue" affecting all 22 centers guiding planes across America.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin offered no reassurance, stating that airports were sending travelers home and that cancellations would continue for hours or even days. Microsoft's Outlook, Teams and Copilot also went dark across 74 countries within hours of the aviation blackout. The company later revealed a network capacity upgrade flaw as the cause, though the explanation was met with skepticism.

The timing of these two blackouts within a day-and-a-half of a high-profile China espionage story has raised questions about whether China or other hostile actors might be targeting U.S. infrastructure.