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On Friday, Nov. 13, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced a nationwide ground stop after a communications failure at air traffic control centers. Departures were halted at airports including Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood (FLL).
The ground stop covered all airports in the country and caused hundreds of delays at airports in South Florida. According to FlightAware data, as of 4:30 p.m., Miami and Fort Lauderdale airports each recorded 246 delays and 12 canceled flights. WPBF later reported that FLL had 309 delays and 15 cancellations.
Flights arriving at FLL were to land normally, while departures were temporarily halted. Lines at the airport gradually grew longer, and after two full hours of the ground stop they were increasingly disorderly. Many travelers looked for airline employees to find out what to do next.
According to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, the cause was a communications problem that affected all regional air traffic control centers. FAA technicians are investigating. According to an industry source, the FAA told airlines the cause was problems with network routers.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the outage was not linked to a threat or an attack. Authorities are checking whether new AI technology at the FAA contributed to the disruption, but it has not been determined to be the cause.
Travelers should expect delays even after the ground stop is lifted, as airlines work through the backlog. Fox News reported that the FAA began gradually lifting restrictions as systems were restored. Before heading to the airport, travelers should check their flight status with their carrier. FLL recommends contacting the airline before leaving for the airport.
Source: Local 10, Sun Sentinel
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Source: Słoneczne Radio
