{
  "id": 20077077,
  "title": "US flight chaos traced to botched copper wire upgrade: Trump administration",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/14/us-flight-chaos-traced-to-botched-copper-wire-upgrade-trump",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-14T23:44:09.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "New Straits Times",
    "slug": "new-straits-times",
    "url": "https://www.nst.com.my/world/world/2026/11/1577981/us-flight-chaos-traced-botched-copper-wire-upgrade-trump-administration"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "New York saw flight chaos on Saturday as services resumed after an hours-long stoppage blamed on a botched copper wire communication upgrade by the Trump administration. The ground stop, which halted all flights, left hundreds of thousands of passengers stranded, with some being pulled off planes before departure. FAA chief Bryan Bedford apologized to the public and predicted full resumption of flights by Sunday's close. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stated that the four-hour ground stop occurred due to issues with communication and radar feeds following an upgrade from copper wire to fiber cable. The outage was only the second time such a stoppage had been issued in US airspace since 9/11. Despite assurances of safety, experts warned of potential follow-on disruption as airlines rebook passengers. The incident highlighted concerns about aging infrastructure, with Duffy requesting $50 billion in funds for upgrades. Some politicians called for investigations into the cause of the disruption and the need to secure the country against cyber threats.",
  "summary": "NEW YORK: Weary travellers braced for more flight disruptions Saturday as service resumed at US airports after an hours-long stoppage that the Trump administration blamed on a botched replacement of old copper wire communication lines.",
  "key_points": [
    "Flight chaos in New York caused by botched copper wire upgrade.",
    "FAA chief apologizes, predicts full resumption by Sunday.",
    "Transportation Secretary requests $50 billion for infrastructure upgrades."
  ],
  "editors_take": "The communication failure exposes how aging infrastructure and poorly managed hardware upgrades can paralyze national airspace and leave hundreds of thousands of passengers stranded during critical transitions.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "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."
}