US President Donald Trump told Fox News that the aviation disruption that led to the suspension of flights across the United States on Friday did not appear to have been caused by a cyberattack or the use of artificial intelligence.
CNN quoted a security source as saying that intelligence assessments had found no evidence of an attack, adding that relevant authorities were examining all US aviation systems.
The network reported that around 1.5 million passengers were stranded at US airports and that major American airlines would suspend operations for the remainder of the night.
Meanwhile, Fox News reported that FedEx was preparing emergency contingency plans across the United States.
The New York Post, for its part, reported that the flight suspensions came three days after the expanded use of an artificial intelligence tool.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grounded all departing flights nationwide on Friday after a communications failure affected air traffic control centres. It was the second nationwide aviation shutdown of its kind since the September 11, 2001 attacks.
The disruption represents the latest and most dramatic indication of the mounting pressure on the US air traffic control system, which has been plagued by equipment and communications failures, a shortage of air traffic controllers and ageing infrastructure.
The world’s busiest airspace has experienced several setbacks in recent years that disrupted flights and raised safety concerns.
In January 2025, a mid-air collision near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport killed 67 people.
The White House and the Department of Transportation urged Congress on Friday to approve an additional $30.1 billion in funding to modernise ageing US airports and the air traffic control system.
Source: news agencies
