US domestic flights resume after nationwide air halt
The Federal Aviation Administration lifted a nationwide ground stop on departing flights on Friday evening, 13 Nov, after more than four hours, ending at about 20:15 Eastern Time. Officials said more than 2,000 flights were cancelled during the halt, with later counts rising to nearly 7,500 cancellations and over 10,000 delays. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy blamed outdated communications equipment overloaded with data at air traffic control centres. The stop was the second nationwide ground halt since the 11 Sep 2001 attacks.
Key facts
- Duffy said Congress needs to approve more money, with $50 billion in upgrades called for.
- Delta CEO Ed Bastian said some commercial routes are slower today than in the 1950s.
- The UK Civil Aviation Authority warned further disruption was expected as airlines rebook passengers.
- Passengers whose flights were cancelled are entitled to refunds under US Department of Transportation rules.
- Duffy said it could take days for airlines to restore normal operations.
Summarised with AI from 5 sources · Updated 22:41Read our AI policy
Why it matters
The halt stranded tens of thousands of passengers and renewed debate over funding for air traffic control upgrades.
What changed
Summary updated
Summary updated
Hindustan Times, SVT Nyheter, DW and DR Nyheder joined as sources
First published from CNBC