US flight departures suspended for four hours following telecommunications failure

A national suspension of all flight departures lasted for approximately four hours on Friday, November 13, 2026, following a telecommunications failure. The technical malfunction occurred during routine maintenance to replace copper wiring with fiber optic cables. This failure disrupted communications between air traffic controllers and aircraft and prevented the transmission of radar information.

System failure and impact

The Federal Aviation Administration reported that 12,000 flights were canceled on Friday, November 13, 2026. The agency stated that 20,000 flights were affected by the suspension. Following the lifting of the suspension on Friday, fewer than 8,000 of the affected aircraft successfully departed.

The disruption caused significant travel delays through the weekend. As of 17:30 local time on Saturday, November 15, 2026, FlightAware reported 5,500 canceled flights and 6,900 delays. While the Federal Aviation Administration estimated 5,000 cancellations for Saturday, FlightAware reported 5,500 cancellations for the same day. A total of 41,000 flights were scheduled for Saturday. Some passengers may face potential delay durations of up to 36 hours.

Cause of the technical failure

The suspension was triggered by a failure during maintenance work performed by a contractor for L3Harris. L3Harris is a technology and defense company that has provided telecommunications services to the Federal Aviation Administration for over two decades. The technical failure caused data saturation in the air traffic control system.

US Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy stated that the issue was not a cyberattack. Secretary Sean Duffy noted the problem was a failure in an obsolete system, which may have resulted from human error or defective equipment provided by L3Harris. This incident marks the third time a national flight suspension has occurred in the 21st century.

Infrastructure modernization efforts

The Department of Transportation has requested 30.1 billion dollars from Congress for air infrastructure modernization. This request follows the recent systemic failures that have impacted national air travel. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford stated that the system will continue to fail until it is fully replaced.

The incident has highlighted the vulnerabilities of existing air traffic control technology. While US Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin has not issued a formal response to the specific maintenance failure, the scale of the disruption has prompted calls for increased funding for aviation technology upgrades. The ongoing replacement of aging systems remains a primary focus for federal aviation officials to prevent future national suspensions.

Glossary

• L3Harris — L3Harris Technologies, Inc. is an American technology company, defense contractor, and information technology services provider. It produces products for various sectors, including command and control systems, avionics, and electronic systems.