The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced on Saturday that it had lifted the nationwide flight suspension after it remained in effect for 4 hours and 25 minutes. The U.S. Transportation Secretary confirmed that American airspace had been reopened to air traffic.
Despite the resumption of flights, the disruption is expected to continue for several days, following the cancellation of approximately 6,000 flights and delays affecting more than 10,000 others.
Data from FlightAware showed that more than 9,100 flights were delayed and over 5,800 were canceled across the United States as a result of the aviation disruption.
Air Traffic Control Communication Problems
On Friday, the Federal Aviation Administration issued a nationwide order suspending aircraft departures due to what it described as “extraordinary circumstances and safety concerns,” after reporting serious problems with air traffic control communications.
FlightRadar24 reported that more than 4,700 flights were canceled and approximately 10,000 others were delayed on Friday, while another 700 flights had already been canceled on Saturday.
Aviation industry analysts said airlines could need several days to restore their normal flight schedules following a nationwide departure suspension that lasted more than four hours.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security confirmed that there were no indications that the disruption had been caused by a cyberattack.
Growing Pressure on the U.S. Aviation System
The disruption represents the latest and most dramatic indication of the mounting pressure on the U.S. air traffic control system, which has been struggling with equipment and communication problems, a shortage of air traffic controllers, and aging infrastructure.
The last comparable nationwide suspension of departing flights since the September 11, 2001, attacks occurred in January 2023, when the Federal Aviation Administration halted domestic departures for approximately 90 minutes.
