US flight ground stop lifted after record-breaking communications outage

A severe communication issue led the US Federal Aviation Administration to order a nationwide ground stop for more than four hours, marking the longest stoppage of its kind since the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks. Officials stated that the incident was triggered when an older, analogue air traffic control communications system became overloaded with data, affecting both communications and radar. The disruption resulted in thousands of delayed and cancelled flights, stranding tens of thousands of travellers in airports across the country. Transportation and Homeland Security officials confirmed there was no indication of a cyber-attack or any threat to public safety, though they warned that resolving the disruptions would take time.