FAA ground stop disrupts flights
More than 20,000 flights faced disruption after the Federal Aviation Administration ordered a national ground stop across all airports due to an emergency and safety concerns, according to detikNews.
The restriction began at 20:53 GMT on Friday, November 13, and remained in place until 04:30 GMT on Saturday, November 14, as reported by ANTARA News Bali. The sudden halt left tens of thousands of passengers stranded in terminals nationwide.
Almost 5,000 flights were cancelled and about 10,000 flights faced delays during the 4.5-hour shutdown, Kompas.id reported. FlightAware data showed that more than 3,800 flights within the United States were cancelled on Saturday, alongside 2,100 delayed departures, according to detikNews.
“Operasional perlahan kembali normal pagi ini. Pesawat mulai bergerak meninggalkan gerbang, melaju di landasan (taxiing), dan lepas landas; penerbangan saat ini aman untuk dilakukan,” said Sean Duffy, US Secretary of Transportation, on X.
Transportation Secretary Advises Passengers on Rescheduling
“Anda mungkin masih akan mendapati sejumlah penundaan dan pembatalan seiring langkah maskapai menjadwalkan ulang penerbangan serta memindahkan pesawat maupun kru ke lokasi yang paling membutuhkan,” US Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy told detikNews.
“Tidak ada alasan bagi masyarakat untuk takut atau mengkhawatirkan orang-orang yang mereka cintai. Ini bukan kejadian seperti 11 September 2001,” said Markwayne Mullin, US Secretary of Homeland Security, according to Kompas.id. Mullin dismissed speculation regarding a coordinated cyberattack or any link to global Microsoft outages.
Aviation safety expert David Soucie told CNN Indonesia that the disruption highlights the profound complexities of modernizing aging aviation infrastructure. Soucie explained that replacing traditional copper wiring with fiber optics introduces intricate connectivity challenges across interdependent systems.
Frequently Asked Questions About the US Flight Ground Stop
Why did the Federal Aviation Administration order a national ground stop?
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered the nationwide ground stop due to an emergency, safety reasons, and major communications issues affecting air route traffic control centers, according to ANTARA News Bali and CNN Indonesia.
How many flights were cancelled or delayed during the crisis?
More than 20,000 flights were impacted overall, with nearly 5,000 cancellations and roughly 10,000 delays recorded during the 4.5-hour shutdown, as reported by Kompas.id.
Were international arrivals affected by the restrictions?
Incoming international flights were managed on a case-by-case basis while domestic departures remained grounded across all US airports until the order was lifted, bali.antaranews.com reported.
What did officials say about potential cyberattacks?
Department of Homeland Security officials dismissed speculation of a coordinated cyberattack or any connection to global technology outages, stating that no malicious intent was involved, according to CNN Indonesia and detikNews.
“Kami menghargai kesabaran Anda selama proses pemulihan operasional menuju kondisi normal,” said the Federal Aviation Administration.
Earlier coverage: US Flight Grounding Lifted but Delays Persist