What would be the reason for the suspension of flights in the United States: “It is not another September 11”

The suspension of takeoffs at United States airports generated concern and disruptions in air transport, but the Government ruled out that behind the measure there was a terrorist attack or criminal action.

The Secretary of Homeland Security, Markwayne Mullin, assured this Friday that the decision to stop flight departures throughout the country was related to a failure in the telecommunications used by air traffic control centers.

“There is no reason for the public to feel afraid or worry about their loved ones; this is not another September 11,” the official said before the media gathered at the White House.

The clarification sought to bring peace of mind in the face of a national measure that was reminiscent, due to its size, of the closure of US airspace established after the attacks of September 11, 2001.

What the FBI is investigating about the failure

While technicians work to determine the origin of the problem, one of the main lines of investigation points to a possible computer problem.

According to a person familiar with the matter, the FBI does not believe that the air traffic control communications disruption was caused by a cyberattack or criminal act.

On the other hand, among the hypotheses being analyzed is the possibility that the problem originated during a software update. At the moment, there is no definitive confirmation about the technological component that caused the failure.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had reported that the problems affected communications at air route control centers, a fundamental infrastructure for organizing and supervising flights in US airspace.

Why did they have to suspend takeoffs?

The United States has 22 regional air traffic control centers, known as ARTCC. These facilities coordinate aircraft movements between different regions, maintain safe distances and transmit instructions to pilots during flights.

When a disruption occurs in their communication systems, controllers may lose the ability to safely transmit directions and coordinate traffic.

For this reason, the FAA ordered that planes that were scheduled to take off remain grounded until further notice. The decision responded to operational security criteria given the impossibility of guaranteeing the normal functioning of communications.

The measure did not mean that all planes already in the air had to land immediately. Aircraft in flight were able to continue to their destinations, while international services to the United States were subject to individual evaluations and authorizations.