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Flights began taking off again across the United States late Friday after a communications failure brought most departures to a standstill. By the time the Federal Aviation Administration lifted the nationwide halt, thousands of flights had been canceled, and airlines faced the task of getting planes and crews back where they were needed.
The FAA paused departures Friday afternoon as a safety measure after communications problems hit regional air traffic control centers. About 3,500 planes were in the air when the order was issued, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said. Those flights could still land, though hundreds were diverted.
U.S. officials said new equipment being added to the air traffic control system overloaded older technology, causing intermittent gaps in communications and radar coverage. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said officials had seen no indication of a cyberattack. Microsoft separately said it had no indication the flight disruption was linked to its earlier Outlook and Teams outage.
FlightAware figures cited by ABC News showed nearly 5,000 cancellations Friday and nearly 800 already listed for Saturday in an early count. Delta said departures had resumed but warned that getting aircraft and crews back into position would take time. For passengers traveling between Cyprus and the United States, that means checking each leg with the airline, especially if the trip includes a connection at a U.S. airport.
