Sean Duffy Requests $50B to Modernize US Air Traffic Systems

“C’est une situation d’urgence,” said Sean Duffy, United States Secretary of Transportation, as a massive computer failure crippled aviation systems across the country.

Major airlines canceled more than 3,700 flights across the United States and delayed another 2,000, as the nation struggled to recover from the longest national flight suspension since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, L’Express.fr reported.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had ordered a nationwide ground stop on Friday that halted nearly all departing flights for nearly five hours. That order forced carriers to scrub nearly 10,000 flights and delay over 7,000 others in one of the worst single days in American aviation history.

Although the FAA lifted the ground stop on Friday evening, tens of thousands of travelers remained stranded in airports nationwide. Airlines scrambled to clear congested terminals and reposition flight crews to restore normal operations.

Airport Congestion Forces Carrier Action

United Airlines and Delta Air Lines announced takeoff bans on Saturday for their own flights at Chicago O’Hare International Airport and New York LaGuardia Airport, respectively. The restrictions aimed to manage severe gate congestion.

Numerous major airports reported they could no longer accept diverted flights as ground crews worked to get aircraft moving again. Late Friday, American Airlines stated it was prioritizing international routes and smaller cities outside its primary hubs to speed up recovery.

The ground stop stemmed from a failure affecting a network that manages essential radio frequencies used by air traffic controllers to communicate with pilots, according to two airline officials. L3Harris, the contractor managing the network, did not respond to requests for comment.

Sean Duffy Requests 50 Billion Dollars to Modernize Air Traffic Systems

Friday’s breakdown laid bare the deep strains facing the American air traffic control system. The network relies on aging technology, equipment, and communications infrastructure, compounded by a shortage of thousands of controllers.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy requested 50 billion dollars on Friday to modernize the nation’s air traffic systems, an increase from his initial 30 billion dollar request. “Nous disposons d’un système de contrôle du trafic aérien incroyablement vétuste,” Duffy told L’Express.fr, urging Congress to approve the funds.

Duffy explained that anomalies began at 3:36 p.m. Eastern time when control centers detected radar and communication instability.

“Nos commutateurs et nos routeurs ont été surchargés de données, ce qui a entraîné des incohérences dans les données provenant de ces routeurs ; c’est pour cette raison que nos équipes ont mis le système hors service,” Duffy said, noting that controllers never completely lost radar contact or communication with aircraft aloft.

Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin said that investigators had found no evidence linking the outage to a cyberattack or a malfunctioning artificial intelligence system, though neither possibility had been completely ruled out.

Flight Cancellations Leave Travelers Stranded Without Legal Compensation

Terminals from Boston to Seattle overflowed with stranded travelers on Friday night as flight boards filled with cancellations. “Je vais peut-être finir par pleurer, mais pas encore,” said Louise Maher, 47, who was stuck at Newark Liberty International Airport after the disruption halted her British Airways flight to London.

Because the FAA issued the ground stop, airlines are not legally required to compensate stranded passengers. The only comparable nationwide ground stop since 2001 occurred in January 2023, when the FAA suspended domestic departures for roughly 90 minutes.

Financial markets reacted immediately to the disruptions. Following Friday’s closing bell, shares of American Airlines, United Airlines, and Delta Air Lines dropped between 1% and 2%, while JetBlue Airways shares fell about 3%.

Agencies Review System Logs to Determine Router Overload Cause

Federal agencies and contractor representatives continued reviewing system logs over the weekend to determine the exact trigger for the router overload. Transportation officials indicated further technical briefings would be scheduled as the congressional funding debate proceeds.

“Le problème immédiat a été résolu et les vols peuvent se poursuivre en toute sécurité,” Duffy said.