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More than 2,000 flights cancelled on Saturday after U.S. FAA lifts ground stop. Live updates here.

Summary

  • The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration lifted a nationwide ground stop after nearly five hours, though more than 2,000 flights remained cancelled on Saturday.
  • U.S. officials stated the outage was caused by communications problems at regional air traffic control centers due to outdated technology, not a cyberattack.
  • The FAA confirmed no evidence of a cyberattack exists, & the U.S. Homeland Security Department reported no lives were at risk.
  • Canada offered full assistance to the FAA, including accommodating U.S.-bound aircraft, & Canadian Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon confirmed Canadian systems are operating normally.
  • NAV Canada warned that delays may continue while backlogs are cleared, & several Canadian airports including Pearson, Calgary, Montreal, Vancouver, & Edmonton implemented traffic management measures.
  • Air Canada cancelled all flights to & from the U.S. through Friday, & flights to the Caribbean & South America may also be impacted due to U.S. airspace transit.
  • U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy noted it will take time to return 3,500 airborne planes to normal operations, as only roughly 400 remained in the airspace when the stop was ordered.
  • Airlines are not required to offer additional compensation beyond free rebooking or refunds, as the computer problem is considered outside their control.
  • The ground stop stranded numerous college football teams, NBA squads, & NHL players, disrupting weekend games & travel schedules.
  • European aviation agencies suspended U.S.-bound departures from 5 p.m. ET Friday until midnight at the request of the FAA.
  • Microsoft clarified that its recent service outages are unrelated to the FAA communication failure.
  • California Governor Gavin Newsom thanked Canada for its support during the crisis, calling it an example of friendship between neighbors.
  • Officials expect the air traffic system to operate normally in time for the U.S. Thanksgiving travel rush.

More than 2,000 flights were cancelled across the U.S. on Saturday after the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration lifted a nationwide ground stop on Friday.