The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration ordered on Friday, November 13, a nationwide suspension of air operations for all airlines, “due to extraordinary circumstances and for safety reasons.” Planes cannot take off, and it is expected that those currently in the air will be able to land. International flights will be evaluated “case by case,” federal authorities said.
The U.S. Transportation Secretary, Sean Duffy, stated that this suspension was due to a “communication problem that affected all en route air traffic control centers.”
The Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Markwayne Mullin, told reporters on Friday night that the federal government is investigating and that, so far, there are no indications that the incident “was an ill-intentioned attack against us.”
“For now, it is simply a telecommunications disruption,” he told reporters. Mullin indicated that the government will analyze the root cause of the problem.
“This is not another September 11. I will not tire of repeating it,” he added.
The nationwide flight suspensions of this magnitude are extremely unusual; the last major episode occurred in January 2023 and, previously, after the September 11, 2001 attacks.
