Crisis Spreads to Europe: US Air Traffic Resumes After Four-Hour Suspension

Air traffic operations in the United States have resumed after a suspension lasting approximately four hours due to a malfunction in air traffic control systems. However, the repercussions of the halt extended to transatlantic flights, amid expectations that delays and cancellations will continue through Saturday.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced on Friday evening the lifting of the order suspending takeoffs for all flights nationwide, after a glitch in communication systems at regional air traffic control centers disrupted flight operations and led to the cancellation and delay of thousands of flights.

Despite the resumption of takeoffs, authorities warned that returning to normal operations would take time, as aircraft and crews were displaced from their usual bases, affecting subsequent flights.

Disruptions Extend to Europe

In Europe, the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation "Eurocontrol" warned of the possibility of continued delays for flights heading to the United States, urging airlines to issue notices regarding affected flights.

The organization removed an earlier notice suspending flights from Europe to the United States on Saturday morning, but the full extent of expected disruptions on transatlantic flights has not yet become clear.

Media reports indicated that planes arriving at US airports were forced to wait until vacant gates became available for passenger disembarkation, while some flights departing from the United States to Europe managed to take off on Friday evening.

What Caused the Glitch?

Officials in President Donald Trump's administration attributed the stoppage to problems in communication and air traffic control systems, which they described as "outdated" and "overloaded."

US Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin stated that introducing modern technologies into an old air traffic control system overloaded its capacity, causing it to fail.

He added that he could not rule out another service interruption.

For his part, US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy explained that instability in wireless communication and radar systems prompted authorities to make the decision to suspend takeoffs nationwide.

No indications emerged linking the glitch to a cyberattack, while authorities are still working to determine the causes and assess the repercussions.

This suspension of aircraft takeoffs in the United States is the first of its kind since January 2023, when a major computer system failure belonging to the FAA halted flights, and the second since the air traffic suspension following the September 11 attacks in 2001.

According to the Associated Press, the Friday stoppage resulted in the rerouting of hundreds of flights and disrupted travel plans for large numbers of passengers, while the German News Agency reported that the crisis's repercussions continued to affect European flights on Saturday morning.