Transportation secretary blames 'old system' for flight chaos as ground stop is finally lifted after more than four hours

By and CHRIS MELORE, US DEPUTY SCIENCE EDITOR and NIKKI SCHWAB, CHIEF CAMPAIGN CORRESPONDENT Updated: 21:10 EST, 13 November 2026 Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy blamed an out of date system for the the ground stop of all flights across the country after it was lifted following a major communications outage.'It's the old hardware that went down,' Duffy said in a press briefing at the White House.'I think the question for the American people is, do you want your Congress to fund this? President Trump has asked for the money,' Duffy added.DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the introduction of some new technology into an old air traffic control system overwhelmed it. The system needs funding for a complete overhaul, he said, estimating a $50 billion price tag. Over 15,000 flights have been delayed and another 5,000 have already been cancelled. The Air Traffic Control System Command Center (ATCSCC) said at 3.54pm ET that the reason for the immediate halting of US flights was: 'Due to extraordinary circumstances for safety reasons.'The FAA said: 'There has been a temporary telecommunications outage - out of an abundance of caution, all flights have been halted. Every flight has been accounted for, and international flights will be handled on a case-by-case basis.'The halt triggered immediate chaos and confusion for travelers, with departure boards at many airports showing flights were operating normally, even as customers were unable to board planes.A White House official told The Daily Mail that President Donald Trump is getting constant updates on the situation. FAA says airplane departures can resume The Federal Aviation Administration says airplane departures can resume after the agency lifted a nationwide ground stop caused by communications problems.The FAA had grounded all flights nationwide Friday afternoon, causing hundreds of flights to be diverted. Officials cited “extraordinary circumstances” caused by communications problems at regional air traffic control centers.Duffy says NCAA teams to be prioritized ahead of football Saturday The ground stoppage left dozens of college football and other sports teams stranded or unable to depart for their weekend games.“I would encourage those football teams to reach out to the FAA, to schedule their flight times and make sure they can move” to make their kickoff, Duffy said.Is America under attack? Friday the 13th terror grips US with flights grounded, boats crashing, tech meltdown and Trump cabinet officials hiding on military base. Experts sound the alarm with terrifying 'mothership' theoryAmerica is on edge after a rare nationwide grounding of flights, a global tech meltdown and two ship crashes left many wondering whether the run of disruptions is simply bad luck on Friday the 13th or something far more nefarious.The incidents come with the US at war with Iran and senior Cabinet officials living on military bases under threat. President Trump, who has only closed-door meetings on his schedule through the weekend, has yet to address the ground stop publicly. Instead, he took to Truth Social to post about his plan to save Hollywood.Officials insist there is no evidence that the disruptions are part of an attack or that they are connected. But Chris Swecker, who spent 24 years with the FBI, told the Daily Mail that the timing was highly suspicious against the backdrop of America’s intensifying conflict with Iran and the recent election. Iran, he said, ‘thinks we’re in a weakened state right now.’Duffy says getting planes back in the air will take some time At the time of the ground stoppage, there were 3,500 airplanes in the sky.“And last time I looked, we had less than, 400 in the airspace,” Duffy said.He added, “it’s going to be slow” getting air traffic back to normal.Duffy: ‘It’s the old hardware that went down.’Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy blamed an out of date system for the stall.''It's the old hardware that went down,' he said in a press briefing at the White House. ‘I think the question for the American people is, do you want your Congress to fund this? President Trump has asked for the money,' Duffy added. FAA says airplane departures can resume after agency lifts nationwide ground stop caused by communications problemsDHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin promised 'the public was never in danger through this process' as they stop was lifted.Ground stop officially liftedFederal officials announced that the ground stop had been lifted after several hours, just after 8pm ET. President Trump: 'Old broken stuff' in system could be responsible for ground stopPresident Trump told Fox News Friday night that the ground stop doesn't appear to be a cyber attack and said no one has taken credit for it. He believes, as some have reported, that this was a system issue and that 'old broken stuff' he's tried to upgrade is at fault. JetBlue cancels all flights leaving JFKOnly flights to Europe will be allowed out of the New York City Airport, the New York Times reported. Passengers are racing out of the airport's Terminal 5 following an announcement played over the intercom. First international flight departs Chicago's O'Hare after four hours as delays reach 14,000Chicago's O'Hare Airport saw its first flight take off in four hours following delays due to the ground stop. The 6:03 British Airways to London was one of a select few international flights that are now being allowed to take off. Meanwhile, Reuters reported that flight delays have crossed over 14,000. Some international flights are being allowed to take off because they are departing US airspace San Francisco airport said that flights headed across the Pacific Ocean were cleared to leave the airport starting around 5 p.m. Eastern. That includes flights destined for Hawaii and Asia.Mullin had said earlier that international flights would be handled on a case-by-case basis.President Trump is silent on nationwide ground stop crisisPresident Donald Trump still has not addressed the Federal Aviation Administration's rare ground stop of all flights nationwide on Friday, instead clearing his schedule and posting about his plan to 'save' Hollywood.Around 5.52pm ET, Trump posted on Truth Social about his desire to 'make our entertainment industry great again,' outlining how he was working with politicians across both aisles on the Motion Picture, Television and Entertainment Revitalization Act.Trump's post was criticized by CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins, who wrote on X: 'Trump posts, not about the ground stop, but about reviving the entertainment industry in bipartisan fashion.'The President's weekend schedule listed Executive Time at 8am on Saturday and Sunday, with no other scheduled engagements.