WASHINGTON, 14th November, 2026 (WAM) -- Air traffic in the United States has returned to normal following disruptions at airports across the country caused by a technical failure in the air traffic communications and navigation systems, which led to the cancellation and suspension of flights, according to US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
Speaking at a press conference today, Duffy explained that efforts to upgrade an ageing communications network operated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) likely triggered a technical malfunction that disrupted air traffic and grounded thousands of flights across the United States. He noted that the issue occurred during routine maintenance work at a remote FAA facility, which involved replacing old copper cables with modern fibre-optic ones.
He said that a router undergoing replacement generated more than 1,000 connection requests every four to five seconds to other devices within the air traffic control network, disrupting communications with aircraft and affecting some radar data.
Authorities swiftly moved to temporarily suspend flights and isolate the source of the malfunction as soon as it was detected. They subsequently managed to restore the systems and resume normal air traffic operations later that same day.
Duffy added that investigations are ongoing to determine whether the malfunction resulted from an error during maintenance work or a failure in the equipment being used. He stressed that the department had ruled out the possibility of a cyberattack or an act of sabotage by a foreign state.
He confirmed that the systems had returned to operation after the affected facility was isolated, emphasizing that passenger safety remains the top priority in all decisions concerning air traffic operations.