A communications failure prompted a nationwide halt to U.S. air traffic on Friday, Nov. 13, as about 3,100 aircraft waited for permission to land. (Foto: Instagram)
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said Friday, Nov. 13, that there was no evidence the United States had suffered a cyberattack. Speaking to reporters at the White House, he said a communications failure prompted the nationwide halt to air traffic.
Mullin said officials had no indication or reason to believe the situation posed a threat to the United States. He described it as a telecommunications failure and said it was not another Sept. 11, adding that authorities had not found evidence of a hostile attack.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered the stoppage Friday afternoon, citing safety concerns and extraordinary circumstances. The previous nationwide grounding of U.S. departures was in January 2023, after a failure in the system used to notify pilots. Before that, the measure had been taken following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
About 3,100 aircraft were in the air awaiting permission to land while U.S. air traffic was halted, according to FlightRadar. Earlier, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said a communications problem had affected every air traffic control center in the country. International arrivals were not automatically covered by the restriction; the FAA said each flight would be assessed individually based on safety conditions.
