15.11.2026 12:32
The chaos caused by the malfunction in the US air traffic system has entered its third day. While more than 15,600 flights were canceled in two days, it was announced that 875 flights were also canceled today. Following the longest flight suspension decision since September 11, an emergency meeting was held at the White House, and the possibility of a cyberattack was investigated. After the crisis, $50 billion in funding was requested to renew the air traffic infrastructure.
Effects of the aviation crisis that began in the US on Friday are continuing today. Although the flight ground stop order issued by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has been lifted, airlines are struggling to return to normal operations.
According to a Reuters report based on FlightAware data, about 9,200 flights were canceled on Friday while 7,500 flights were delayed. On Saturday, the number of canceled flights exceeded 6,400, and delayed flights exceeded 8,000.
Thus, more than 15,600 flights were canceled over two days, while about 15,500 flights were operated with delays.
It was reported that 875 flights have already been canceled for Sunday, the third day of the crisis. Thus, the number of cancellations announced since Friday has exceeded 16,400.
LONGEST FLIGHT GROUND STOP SINCE SEPTEMBER 11
Communication and radar problems at air traffic control centers in the US on Friday, November 13, led to an extraordinary decision being taken nationwide.
The FAA halted almost all departures to ensure flight safety. The measure, which lasted about 5 hours, was recorded as the longest flight ground stop order nationwide in the US since the September 11, 2001 attacks.
After the decision, long lines formed at airports in different parts of the country, and tens of thousands of passengers were stranded in terminals. The inability of aircraft and flight crews to be at their planned locations caused disruptions to continue even after the airspace was reopened.
EMERGENCY MEETING HELD AT WHITE HOUSE
The major outage in the air traffic system also prompted action from the US administration. On Friday, when the crisis began, an emergency meeting was held in the White House Situation Room.
Federal agencies began investigating whether the problem affecting air traffic across the country was caused by a cyberattack.
However, initial investigations found no evidence of a malicious attack. Officials announced that the problem was caused by a technical malfunction.
CAUSE OF MALFUNCTION THAT PARALYZED US EMERGES
US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced that the crisis arose during the installation of a new router device in the communications infrastructure of the air traffic control system.
During the work carried out by the FAA's contractor L3Harris, excessive data loading occurred in the system.
Duffy stated that the new router caused more than 1,000 connection attempts every 4 to 5 seconds. This led to problems in communicating with aircraft and disruptions in radar data.
It was reported that the malfunction affected 17 of the FAA's 22 air traffic control centers.
Officials announced that investigations are continuing to determine whether the problem was caused by faulty equipment or by an error made during installation.
MAJOR AIRLINES ALSO AFFECTED
The effects of the crisis were also reflected in the operations of leading US airlines.
Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, and American Airlines had to cancel about 25 percent of their flights scheduled for Saturday. At JetBlue, the cancellation rate reached about 45 percent.
Airlines made arrangements so that affected passengers could move their travel to later dates without paying an additional fee.
CALL FOR $50 BILLION IN EMERGENCY FUNDING
The crisis also reopened debate about the US's aging air traffic control infrastructure.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy requested $50 billion in funding from Congress, stating that the current system needs serious renewal.
It drew attention that the funding need, previously cited as $30 billion, was raised to $50 billion after the major malfunction.
Duffy warned that similar outages could occur again if the air traffic system is not modernized.
Some Democratic lawmakers in the US Congress also stated that the causes of the crisis should be investigated in detail and those responsible should be identified.
WHEN WILL FLIGHTS RETURN TO NORMAL?
FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford announced that the air traffic system is working stably again, but that it will take time for flight schedules to return to normal.
Bedford said they expect airline operations to return largely to normal toward the late hours of Sunday, November 15.
However, it is noted that some delays and cancellations may continue because aircraft, pilots, and cabin crews need to be brought to their rescheduled flight points.
The crisis that began in the US on Friday continues to affect the travel plans of thousands of passengers on Sunday as well.