WASHINGTON (Kashmir English): A technical failure in the United States‘ aviation system has disrupted air travel across the country, affecting thousands of flights and forcing authorities to halt departures at airports nationwide.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the failure affected radar and air traffic control systems. US Transportation Secretary stated that 22 air traffic control centres had been affected, while technical teams were working to identify and fix the problem.
The FAA said international flights arriving in the United States would be assessed on a case-by-case basis. However, authorities had not announced a timeline for lifting the nationwide ground stop.
According to US media reports, more than 13,000 flights have been affected. The disruption also impacted radio communication frequencies, while Eurocontrol said flights from Europe to the United States had been temporarily suspended.
The FBI is also investigating the incident. Officials have not confirmed any cyberattack or deliberate sabotage targeting the aviation system.
A senior Department of Homeland Security official, Mark VanMullen, said the public had no reason to panic and confirmed that President Donald Trump had been briefed. He said flight records remained available and described the disruption as a communication failure within air traffic control centres.
The official added that authorities could not completely rule out the possibility of a cyberattack or other malicious interference. However, he stressed that the ground stop was not imposed because of a specific security threat and that the situation was not comparable to the September 11 attacks.
Microsoft also said the aviation system disruption was not related to its services. Trump, meanwhile, said the incident did not appear to have been caused by a cyberattack or artificial intelligence.
Separately, the National Weather Service reported disruptions to its nationwide internet and communication systems, affecting access to weather information on its websites. Technical teams are working to restore the services.
