A telecommunications outage disrupted air traffic control operations, forcing a nationwide ground stop and affecting thousands of flights.
WASHINGTON — Air travel across the United States has faced widespread disruption following a telecommunications outage that affected air traffic control operations.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) lifted a nationwide ground stop after the disruption halted airport departures for more than four hours.
According to reports, thousands of flights experienced delays, while at least 600 aircraft were diverted during the incident.
The outage affected communications at several air traffic control facilities, creating operational challenges for airlines and airport authorities.
US officials suggested that problems involving older communications equipment may have contributed to the disruption. However, the exact cause remained under investigation.
Authorities said there was no evidence of a cyberattack at the time of the latest reports.
Airlines warned passengers that delays and cancellations could continue as the aviation system worked to restore normal operations.
The incident has renewed attention on the importance of modernising critical aviation infrastructure and strengthening the reliability of air traffic control systems.
Source: Reuters; The Guardian
