Disruptions in the services of tech giant Microsoft had a limited impact on flight operations in India. The disruption continued for nearly two days. In the United States, however, flight operations came to a complete standstill, with flights grounded across the country. Officials have clarified that the disruption was not caused by hacking but was the result of a technical issue. In particular, a technical problem in the communication system connecting Air Traffic Control (ATC) centres prompted the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to temporarily suspend flight take-offs from airports across the country. As a result, thousands of flights were delayed by several hours. Several flights were also cancelled, leaving passengers stranded at airports.
US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy revealed the development on social media platform X. He said a problem had occurred in the communication system, affecting Air Traffic Control centres across the country. Keeping passenger safety in mind, a temporary ban was imposed on flight take-offs at all US airports, he stated. The problem affected 22 regional Air Traffic Control centres responsible for monitoring flight operations across the country. Technical experts from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) immediately stepped in to resolve the issue. While new flight take-offs were suspended, aircraft that were already in the air were allowed to continue their journeys and reach their destinations.
The restriction, which lasted for more than four hours, was lifted after the FAA resolved the technical issue. Flights were subsequently allowed to resume operations. However, officials said it could take additional time for flight services to return to normal as aircraft and crew members remained stranded at various locations. Across the country, as many as 11,000 flights were delayed, while nearly 1,000 flight services were cancelled. The sudden technical disruption caused inconvenience to a total of 1.5 million passengers. Officials say the situation has now returned to normal.