# US flights resume after hours-long nationwide stop

> A major communications outage grounded almost 6,000 flights on Saturday. Authorities blamed decades-old technology and said recovery would take time.
- Title: US flights resume after hours-long nationwide stop · Dawn
- Summary: A major communications outage grounded almost 6,000 flights on Saturday. Authorities blamed decades-old technology and said recovery would take time.
- Keywords: us air travel, communications outage, federal aviation authority, sean duffy, air traffic control system, thanksgiving travel, Dawn
- Source: Dawn — https://dawn.com/news/2044466/us-air-travel-resumption-will-take-time-after-hours-long-stop
- Author: AFP
- Published: 2026-11-14T04:11:16+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: us air travel, communications outage, federal aviation authority, sean duffy, air traffic control system, thanksgiving travel, news, politics
## Nationwide groundstop after communications failure
Flights across the United States were grounded on Saturday due to a major communications outage. The Federal Aviation Authority lifted the groundstop after around four hours.
## Hundreds of thousands left stranded
The nationwide stop sparked widespread chaos and left hundreds of thousands of passengers in limbo. Some were pulled off planes moments before departure by airline staff.
## Outdated infrastructure blamed for outage
Government officials said the incident was caused by decades-old technology. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy said the system used 1980s copper lines and old switches that overloaded.

> We use 1980s little copper lines. It's an old system that went down, and went down everywhere.
## Nearly six thousand flights canceled
Almost six thousand flights were canceled including some international routes according to FlightAware. Recovery from the stoppage was expected to take some time as airports remained congested.
## No evidence of foul play or cyber attack
President Donald Trump's administration said there was no evidence the outage was the result of foul play. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin ruled out any cyber attack or connection to the Microsoft outage.

> We've seen zero evidence that this was a cyber attack or (AI) attack.
## Passengers left confused and frustrated
Travelers were left in the dark about the groundstop, with some told their flights were delayed due to wind. Passengers scrambled to find alternatives, with long lines forming at rental car counters.

> I feel very frustrated because you know, you come to the airport and then all of a sudden your whole plans have changed and you don't know when you're leaving.
## Duffy seeks thirty point one billion for upgrades
Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy had formally asked Congress for thirty point one billion dollars to upgrade and modernise the US Air Traffic Control System. He repeated his plea as the groundstop was lifted.

> I'm going to say it a million times: the Congress has to give the resources to the president so he can finish this bill.
## Second major alert since nine eleven attacks
The incident marked only the second time such an alert had been issued in US airspace since the nine eleven attacks.A similar groundstop occurred in January two thousand twenty-three when a pilot notification system failed.
## Key takeaway

A communications outage caused by outdated infrastructure grounded nearly six thousand US flights for hours on Saturday, causing widespread chaos as the country heads into the busy Thanksgiving period.