Federal Aviation Administration Lifts Nationwide Flight Ban After 4 Hours That Halted 8,000 Flights

US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced the lifting of the order suspending all flights in the United States as of 20:15 local time (04:15 Turkey time on 14 November), after about four hours of an unprecedented suspension that delayed more than 8,000 flights and cancelled more than 6,000 others, according to data from the flight-tracking site FlightAware.

Speaking at a press conference held at the White House alongside Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, Duffy revealed that disruptions in radar and communications systems were detected at 15:36 local time, which necessitated an immediate decision to halt air traffic as a precaution. The Secretary confirmed that the cause of the problem was old equipment, not the equipment updated during the Trump administration.

Mayorkas denied that there was any evidence the system had been subjected to a cyberattack, saying: "We have not seen any evidence that this is a cyberattack or an AI attack," noting that the incident appeared to be mechanical in origin and that the investigation is still ongoing. He also denied any connection between the incident and Microsoft, contrary to what public opinion had circulated. He stressed that the safety of lives was not endangered at any moment.

Duffy called for a budget of $50 billion to fully rebuild the air traffic control system, noting that President Trump had requested $30 billion and had already launched the rebuilding process under legislation worth $12.5 billion, but that this funding remains partial.