The Federal Aviation Administration ordered a nationwide ground stop in the United States on Nov. 13, affecting more than 2,000 flights and halting flights into the country. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed the stoppage at 4:16 p.m. ET, as questions emerged about the agency's newly deployed air traffic AI system.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin attributed the disruption to a telecommunications outage rather than a national security threat, according to Mashable SEA. The stoppage was only the third nationwide ground stop in U.S. history. Originally reported by Mashable SEA.
Officials investigate the outage
Officials have not confirmed a connection between the disruption and the FAA's Strategic Management of Airspace, Routes and Trajectories system, known as SMART. Its developer, Air Space Intelligence, denied that its technology caused the stoppage.
Asked whether SMART could have affected air traffic control systems, Mullin said investigators could not rule anything out at that stage. He said authorities would establish what happened and take appropriate action to prevent a recurrence.
SMART rollout draws scrutiny
Questions about the system followed an ArsTechnica report published a day before the ground stop about the FAA's recent deployment of the $875 million tool. Social media users quickly drew attention to the timing.
Air Space Intelligence, an American aerospace and defense company, rejected those suggestions in a statement on X. It said the ground stop was not caused by SMART, any other company product or its integration with FAA and air traffic control systems.
AI tool helps assess flight routes
SMART is a cloud-based platform intended to help controllers assess and manage U.S. airspace. The FAA says it uses AI to examine airline schedules, weather, airport capacity, airspace conditions and operational constraints, anticipating traffic patterns and potential conflicts.
ArsTechnica reported that SMART had operated in Washington, DC airspace since at least Sept. 21. The FAA announced expansion to 22 centers nationwide on Nov. 10 and said the system had successfully helped reroute 180 flights.
Originally reported by Mashable SEA.