There has not been such a large-scale grounding of flights in the United States since the September 11 terrorist attacks

The United States has imposed a sweeping ban on aircraft takeoffs due to problems with the air traffic control system. Former chairman of the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Robert Sumwalt said the country had not seen restrictions of this scale since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. BBC reported this, citing CBS News, writes UNN.

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It is absolutely incredible that something like this could happen in our time

According to him, a similar situation had already occurred in the United States in 2023, but at that time the restrictions on takeoffs lasted only a few hours.

The exact cause of the large-scale disruption remains unknown. At the same time, the expert assumes that the problem may be related to the operation of air traffic control centers.

There are 22 such centers operating in the United States, controlling aircraft after they reach an altitude of approximately 3–3.7 km.

FAA halted takeoffs for safety reasons

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) explained that the restrictions had been introduced to ensure flight safety.

The U.S. has named the reason for the suspension of flights nationwide — what happened13.11.26, 23:10

Sumwalt supported the regulator's decision, noting that communication problems between pilots and air traffic controllers could pose a serious threat.

It appears that the FAA realizes it has a problem, so it is doing the right thing by saying that no one can take off until we fix this situation

According to him, continuing takeoffs amid possible disruptions in the operation of air traffic control services would only increase the strain on the system and the risks to aviation.

After flights were grounded in the United States, widespread Internet outages were reported — authorities commented on the threat of a terrorist attack14.11.26, 00:29