The FAA Nationwide Ground Stop Is Over
The five-hour ordeal ended Friday evening. Planes will be allowed to fly again, but the effects of the stoppage will be felt throughout the weekend.
The FAA has ended its nationwide ground stop following a telecommunications infrastructure failure. The issue, linked to the FTI network, caused the cancellation of over 6,300 flights and delays for 9,500 more. US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy attributed the problem to "old switches, old routers" and a "data overload." The FAA is currently in the midst of a major modernization project, replacing copper wire with high-speed fiber-optic cables.
The system is also being equipped to handle newer aircraft like drones and eVTOLs. The outage is believed to have been caused by the installation of patches as new equipment was being installed. The system, managed by L3Harris Technologies, has 70% of FAA sites upgraded to fiber, as of earlier this month. The administration aims to overhaul the nation's air traffic control system by the end of 2028.
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