Trump Administration's First Comment on Flight Groundings in the US

US Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin revealed early Saturday morning the nature of the investigations currently being conducted by authorities, following the announcement of a decision to halt takeoffs for flights across the United States.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had previously announced the suspension of departing flights from all airports in the United States due to what it described as "exceptional circumstances" resulting from "serious issues," which have not yet been identified.

Secretary Mullin told CNN that officials are investigating whether the new AI-supported air traffic control system contributed to widespread communication problems and the nationwide halt in air travel.

For its part, ASI, the company that developed this system, stated in a post on the X platform shortly after Mullin's meeting with journalists that the flight stoppage was "not caused by the system or any of the company's products or our interaction with the FAA and air traffic control, nor was it a result thereof."

The FAA noted that the decision came as a result of a "temporary communication outage," explaining that "out of an abundance of caution, all flights were suspended," clarifying that all domestic flights were grounded, while international flights would be "handled individually."

According to a source in the aviation sector familiar with the challenges facing air traffic controllers, the malfunctions include air traffic control radars, as well as radio frequencies, which went down simultaneously.

The source explained that air traffic controllers do not have any clear information about the cause of the outage or exactly what is happening.