Copper wire upgrade triggers US flight chaos, transport secretary confirms
Transport Secretary Sean Duffy attributes the recent nationwide ground stop to a copper wire upgrade, ruling out a cyber-attack while calling for infrastructure investment.
By Alina Marshall ·
A widespread disruption to air travel across the United States, which resulted in thousands of flight cancellations, was caused by a technical issue linked to a copper wire upgrade, according to Transport Secretary Sean Duffy. Speaking at a news conference, Duffy explained that authorities are currently investigating whether the fault stemmed from equipment failure or from the performance of the contractor responsible for the maintenance work.
The government has stated that it does not believe a cyber-attack was the primary cause of the incident, though an investigation remains active. The suspension of flights on Friday marked the longest such nationwide stop since the attacks of 11 September 2001. The resulting disruption is expected to continue for several days as airlines work to manage the backlog.
Duffy detailed that the maintenance involved transitioning from aging copper wire to fibre optics, a task handled by L3Harris, a technology provider. He noted that the US relies on an incredibly old telecommunications system, with specific wires being discontinued due to their age. The issue arose when a router under maintenance began flooding other air traffic control systems, creating communication problems with aircraft. For safety reasons, the government subsequently shut down the airspace.
Bryan Bedford, the head of the Federal Aviation Administration, addressed the same news conference to clarify the nature of the failure. He stated that there is zero evidence of anything nefarious or related to artificial intelligence. The ground stop began at 15:54 EST on Friday, preventing any flights from taking off from the continental US for more than four hours.
The impact on travel has been significant. According to the tracking website FlightAware, more than 3,500 flights were cancelled and over 2,000 were delayed in the US on Saturday. Passengers in some locations were left stranded on the tarmac, unable to depart or return to their gates. To alleviate congestion, some international flights were permitted to depart US airports, an apparent effort to clear space for other operations.
Duffy warned that similar issues could recur unless Congress approves upgrades to the air traffic control infrastructure. President Donald Trump has requested $30.1 billion for these upgrades, a proposal that is currently being considered by the Republican-controlled chambers of Congress.
John Pistole, a former TSA Administrator, spoke to the BBC regarding the incident. He noted that restarting the system in four and a half hours is good news, demonstrating the resilience of the network. However, he questioned whether the system is fully protected against similar failures in the future.
This event is historically significant, as a nationwide ground stop has only been ordered once before since the multi-day flight ban following the 11 September 2001 attacks. The current situation highlights the fragility of the US aviation communication infrastructure as it undergoes modernization.
