Full transcript: How an air traffic system upgrade led to a nationwide ground stop
Flight disruptions lingered
Friday’s nationwide ground stop lasted a little more than four hours, but its effects continued into the weekend. More than 1,900 flights had already been canceled that morning, and further disruption was expected.
Duffy said aircraft and crews had been left out of position, making it take time for airlines to restore normal operations. He expected flights to run at full capacity by the end of the day and into the next day.
Communications upgrade under scrutiny
Duffy said the problem involved an old copper connection in El Dorado that was due to be retired. After the telecom provider said it could no longer be used, the connection was changed to fiber and routers were installed as part of the work.
Margaret Brennan cited the union representing aviation safety specialists, which said two contractor-owned and maintained routers were being upgraded during the day and its technicians were not involved. Duffy said FAA staff handle FAA-owned equipment, while telecom contractors and providers perform work on their systems.
Investigation and risk questions
Duffy said officials were investigating what happened at a facility in Amarillo. He said both routers were with L3Harris, which owns and operates the network, and that the FAA was on site while the FBI offered support.
Asked about risk planning, Duffy said risk assessments are conducted for the work. He said upgrades at major facilities are normally done at night, while work at remote locations has historically been considered lower risk. Friday’s disruption overwhelmed the network and led officials to issue a ground stop.
Key points
- Friday’s ground stop lasted just over four hours, with travel disruptions continuing into the weekend.
- Duffy linked the incident to replacing an old copper connection with fiber and updating network equipment.
- Officials were investigating a separate issue at a facility in Amarillo.
- The broadcast also previewed discussion of the Nvidia scandal and Trump’s planned meeting with Xi Jinping.