{
  "id": 20067198,
  "title": "Copper wire upgrade caused nationwide flight suspension, US transport secretary says",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/14/copper-wire-upgrade-caused-nationwide-flight-suspension-us-transport-20067198",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-14T22:21:38.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "KahawaTungu",
    "slug": "kahawatungu",
    "url": "https://kahawatungu.com/copper-wire-upgrade-caused-nationwide-flight-suspension-us-transport-secretary-says/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A major US ground stop that led to thousands of flight cancellations was triggered by a problem following a copper wire upgrade, stated Transport Secretary Sean Duffy. Duffy revealed during a press conference that authorities are investigating whether the issue was caused by \"incompetence\" on the part of the upgrading company or faulty equipment. However, the government does not suspect a cyber-attack, though the inquiry is ongoing, Duffy said. Friday's suspension was the longest such incident since the 9/11 attacks, with the disruption expected to continue for several days. The switch from copper wire to fiber was being carried out by a contractor named L3Harris, a technology provider company, according to Duffy. He noted that the US has \"an incredibly old telecommunications system\" and that the wire being replaced was already being discontinued. The transport secretary explained that a router being worked on had started to affect other air traffic control systems and caused communication issues with planes, leading to the government shutting down airspace for safety reasons. Bryan Bedford, head of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), affirmed during the same press conference that there is no evidence of any nefarious intent or AI-related issues. All flights from the continental US were grounded for over four hours starting at 15:54 EST (19:54 GMT) on Friday, resulting in over 3,500 cancellations and more than 2,000 delays in the US on Saturday, as reported by tracking website Flight Aware. Some passengers were left stranded inside planes on the ground, unable to take off or return to gates. International flights were allowed to depart US airports to alleviate congestion. Duffy cautioned that a similar incident could occur again unless the US Congress approves upgrades to air traffic control infrastructure, estimated at $30.1 billion by US President Donald Trump. Both houses of Congress are currently under Republican control. Former TSA Administrator John Pistole told the BBC that while the system's ability to restart within four-and-a-half hours is positive, it remains uncertain if similar disruptions will not recur in the future. A nationwide ground stop has only been implemented once before, since all flights were grounded for several days following the 9/11 attacks.",
  "summary": "A nationwide US ground stop that caused thousands of flight cancellations was caused by an issue following a copper wire upgrade, Transport Secretary Sean Duffy said. Duffy told a news conference that the government was trying to find out whether the problem was caused by “incompetence” on the part of the company doing the upgrades, [...] The post Copper wire upgrade caused nationwide flight…",
  "key_points": [
    "Nationwide flight suspension caused by copper wire upgrade issue",
    "Transport Secretary Sean Duffy investigates possible incompetence or faulty equipment",
    "Suspension longest since 9/11 attacks, over 3,500 flights cancelled"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": "https://urgent.news/ill/20067198.png",
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "BBC News",
        "title": "Copper wire upgrade caused nationwide flight suspension, US transport secretary says",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/14/copper-wire-upgrade-caused-nationwide-flight-suspension-us-transport",
        "published": "2026-11-14T17:16:36.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}