A major technical failure in the US Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) air traffic control communications network, traced to a router installed by government contractor L3Harris Technologies which triggered a nationwide aviation shutdown for almost five hours on November 13, 2026. All departing flights across the United States disruption was one of the worst since the September 11, 2001, attacks, reported Reuters.
According to US officials, the failure occurred during routine maintenance at a remote FAA facility, where L3Harris technicians were replacing ageing copper telecommunications lines with modern fibre-optic connections. A newly installed router reportedly generated more than 1,000 connection attempts every four to five seconds, feeding across multiple air traffic control centres.
The disruption affected 17 of the FAA's 22 en-route centres, prompting authorities to impose a nationwide ground stop to ensure aviation safety. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said, "This was an FAA system that didn't meet the moment." He added that investigators were examining whether the incident resulted from human error, incorrect installation or configuration, or defective router hardware. Officials said there was no evidence of a cyberattack or artificial intelligence involvement.
Approximately 9,200 flights were cancelled and 7,500 delayed on Friday, followed by more than 6,150 cancellations and 7,300 delays on Saturday. In the aftermath, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and American Airlines each cancelled around 25% of their Saturday schedules, while JetBlue cancelled nearly 45%. Displaced aircraft and flight crews further complicated recovery operations.
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Duffy has sought $50 billion in funding, up from an earlier request of $30 billion. Congress approved $12.5 billion in 2025, while the Transportation Department awarded contracts worth $4.3 billion, of which approximately $1 billion had reportedly been spent.
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