From ground stop to blame game: US flights resume as officials fight over who pays
NEW YORK, Nov 15 — US air travel was expected to return to normal on Sunday after a nationwide ground stop left hu...
US air travel resumed on Sunday following a nationwide ground stop that left hundreds of thousands of passengers stranded and disrupted travel globally. The Trump administration attributed the ground stop on Friday to a faulty replacement of old copper wire communication lines, while FAA chief Bryan Bedford reported that 12,000 flights were cancelled on Friday, and over 6,600 on Saturday, with more than 1,200 cancellations reported on Sunday morning.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stated the four-hour stop was declared after maintenance work to upgrade a copper wire to a high-speed fibre cable caused communication issues with planes and radar feeds. The ground stop, the second in US airspace since 9/11, only lifted at 8.15pm ET Friday, and FAA officials reopened airspace after restoring full functionality at air traffic control facilities.
While US flights have returned to normal, there could be further disruptions as airlines rebook passengers and restore services. The incident highlighted concerns about the country's aging infrastructure, with Duffy requesting $50 billion in funds to upgrade and modernize the air traffic control system, and lawmakers calling for investigations into the cause and potential cyber vulnerabilities.
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