US ground stop caused by aging equipment, no evidence of cyberattack, Transportation Sec. says
"What we have is an incredibly old air traffic control system," Duffy said, explaining that outdated analog telecommunications equipment began producing inconsistent data.
US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy explained on Friday that the nationwide ground stop initiated earlier in the day was due to outdated air traffic control equipment becoming overloaded with data. The aging equipment, consisting of switches and routers, produced inconsistent data, disrupting radar information and communications with aircraft.
Over 3,500 aircraft were in the air when the ground stop was imposed, with fewer than 400 remaining in the air as controllers worked to safely land flights. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin stated that there was no evidence of a cyberattack, though the investigation was ongoing. Multiple federal agencies, including the Department of Defense, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and the National Security Agency, are investigating the incident.
No evidence of a cyberattack has been found, and no claims of responsibility have emerged. Duffy criticized years of insufficient modernization, noting that previous administrations had spent approximately $15 billion over 25 years on upgrades with little progress. He called on Congress to approve additional funding beyond the $12.5 billion already allocated, emphasizing that the system is critical for every single family and should not be viewed as a partisan issue.
Written by urgent.news from Jerusalem Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.