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US flight cancellations persist as the FAA investigates telecoms upgrade work behind Friday's nationwide ground stop.
US airlines are still rebuilding their schedules after Friday’s nationwide ground stop, with the FAA warning that disruption may last until late Sunday. A new account from federal officials has also narrowed the investigation to telecommunications upgrade work, although the precise cause remains unresolved.
Thousands more US flights cancelled as recovery continues
FAA administrator Bryan Bedford said on Saturday that airline operations were expected to be largely back to normal by late Sunday, 15 November. FlightAware figures cited by Reuters showed more than 6,400 cancellations and 8,000 delays on Saturday, with another 875 Sunday flights already cancelled. The FAA says its air traffic network is stable. Airlines, however, must still reposition aircraft and crews after Friday’s nearly five-hour departure halt, so the reopening of the airspace has not immediately restored schedules. Source: Reuters, 14 November 2026.
Telecommunications upgrade comes under scrutiny
US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said a contractor working on the transition from copper telecommunications lines to fibre had installed or replaced routing equipment before the network became unstable. According to the department’s Saturday briefing, a router generated unusually frequent connection attempts, affecting aircraft communications and radar feeds. Reuters reported that 17 of the FAA’s 22 en-route control centres experienced disruption. Investigators have not established whether faulty hardware or human error was responsible, and officials said they did not believe a cyberattack was involved. Contractor L3Harris is assisting the investigation. Source: US Department of Transportation, 14 November 2026. Further reporting: Reuters.
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