Washington, 14 November, 2026 (Ghufran): The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has lifted a nationwide ground stop after a communications failure at air traffic control centres disrupted flight operations across the country, resulting in thousands of flight cancellations and delays. The shutdown, imposed on Friday at 3:54pm Eastern Time, lasted more than four hours and marked the longest nationwide aviation disruption since the September 11, 2001 attacks. According to flight-tracking service FlightRadar24, more than 4,700 flights were cancelled and 10,000 delayed, while another 700 cancellations had already been reported for Saturday. The disruption also affected international operations, forcing cancellations of flights from Canada and Europe. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin ruled out any immediate indication of a deliberate attack, saying the incident appeared to be a telecommunications outage rather than a security breach. However, he said authorities were examining all possible causes, including the possibility of a cyberattack and issues involving a new artificial intelligence-powered air traffic control system. He also reassured the public that the incident was not another September 11-style attack. The FAA said the ground stop was imposed as a precaution after communications systems at air traffic control centres were affected. Departures were temporarily suspended nationwide, while aircraft already in the air were allowed to continue to their destinations and land safely. The disruption left thousands of passengers stranded at airports, with major airlines, including United and American, warning of widespread delays and cancellations. The incident has renewed concerns over the ageing US aviation infrastructure, which has experienced repeated technical failures and staff shortages. The White House and Transportation Department have urged Congress to approve an additional $30.1 billion to modernise the country’s air traffic control system, including communications networks, hardware, software and airport facilities. Congress had previously approved $12.5 billion in July 2025 for aviation infrastructure upgrades and recruitment of additional air traffic controllers. The FAA has also announced plans to replace outdated technology, including floppy-disk-based systems still used at more than 400 air traffic control facilities, by the end of 2028. Authorities said the precise cause of Friday’s nationwide communications failure remained under investigation.