FAA lifts four‑hour ban on flights, but disruptions will persist

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has lifted a four‑hour flight ban that was imposed after widespread failures in air‑traffic communications systems, but significant disruptions to schedules and passenger movements are expected to continue.

Thousands of flights were canceled and tens of thousands of travelers were left stranded at airports across the country. The FAA said that, following thorough testing, it has authorized a partial resumption of flights while recovery operations continue.

Causes and operational impact

U.S. transport minister Sean Duffy warned that a full return to normal operations will take time because airlines face shortages of available aircraft and flight crews after the shutdown. Officials attributed the outage to defects in radio and radar systems and to overloaded routers caused by the simultaneous use of older and newer technology.

Markwayne Mullin, the U.S. secretary for homeland security, said the airspace closure was a necessary safety measure. He noted there are no signs the disruption resulted from a cyberattack, though that possibility has not been ruled out entirely.

Historically, the FAA has closed U.S. airspace only twice before: after the terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001, and in February 2023 when a failure in the pilot alerting system led to a temporary grounding.

Air travelers should expect further delays and cancellations in the coming hours as carriers and airports work through backlogs and reposition crews and aircraft to restore scheduled service.

Photo: press material from the event