Arizona travelers are still feeling the aftereffects of the nationwide FAA ground stop that began Friday evening. As of 9 a.m. Sunday, nearly 80 flights at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport remain canceled and another 210 are delayed, according to airport officials.
Federal response and recovery timeline
The Federal Aviation Administration halted all departures Friday after a router overload caused intermittent disruptions to communications and radar feeds. The stop, which lasted more than four hours, was lifted around 8:15 p.m. ET that night. Officials say the air‑traffic control system is stable and expect full recovery before the Thanksgiving travel rush.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, a Trump administration appointee, explained that a contractor was replacing aging copper wire with new fiber in a remote location when the router overload occurred. He emphasized that the incident was not the result of a system outage or foreign interference, and that investigators are determining whether contractor error or a faulty router caused the overload.
Airlines’ actions for passengers
Airlines are required to offer free rebooking or a full refund for canceled flights. American Airlines warned that some flights could still be canceled as it works to restore operations, urging passengers to check their flight status. Other carriers are allowing rebooking for travelers originally scheduled on Friday or Saturday, and some have extended the offer to those with reservations on Sunday or Monday.
Modernization funding push
The air‑traffic control modernization effort began last year after Congress approved $12.5 billion in funding. Secretary Duffy and the White House are now advocating for an additional $30 billion to complete the upgrade, noting that about 70 % of the old copper wire has already been replaced with fiber.
Officials expect the system to be fully operational well before the holiday travel peak, reassuring the public that U.S. airspace remains safe and functional.
Original reporting: azfamily KTVK/KPHO Phoenix (news) — read the source article.
