Flights have resumed across the United States after aviation authorities lifted a nationwide ground stop Friday evening, but thousands of passengers continue to face cancellations and delays as airlines struggle to recover from one of the country’s most significant air traffic disruptions in decades.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reopened U.S. airspace at 8:15 p.m. Eastern Time on Friday, Nov. 13, after a communications failure forced authorities to halt departing flights nationwide for more than four hours.

By Saturday, more than 2,500 flights had been canceled across the United States, with hundreds more delayed, according to flight-tracking website FlightAware, as airlines worked to reposition aircraft and crews following the shutdown.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed that the immediate technical problem had been resolved and that flying was safe, but warned that restoring normal operations would take time.

“It’s going to be slow,” Duffy told reporters at the White House on Friday evening.

The disruption began Friday afternoon when air traffic control centers experienced problems with radar and communications systems.

Duffy explained that switches and routers in the country’s aging air traffic control network became overloaded with data, producing inconsistent information and forcing authorities to suspend departures as a precaution.

He said the FAA never completely lost radar or communications capabilities and that thousands of aircraft already in the air landed safely.

Before allowing departures to resume, the FAA conducted tests to ensure its systems were stable and reliable.

The shutdown left tens of thousands of travelers stranded at airports, with passengers facing long waits, missed connections and canceled flights.

Major airlines, including American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines, were among those affected.

American Airlines said it was prioritizing international flights and services to smaller cities outside its major hubs to help restore its network.

Delta also resumed departures Friday night but warned that returning aircraft and crews to their scheduled locations would take time.

The disruption could affect travelers between Antigua and Barbuda and the United States, particularly passengers connecting through major American airports.

Travelers using U.S. airports to reach Caribbean destinations may continue experiencing delays or changes to their itineraries as airlines restore their schedules.

However, there has been no confirmed assessment of the number of flights specifically affecting Antigua and Barbuda.

The shutdown has also raised fresh concerns about the condition of America’s aging air traffic control infrastructure.

Duffy called for approximately US$50 billion to modernize the system, arguing that outdated equipment and technology had contributed to the failure.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said investigators had found no evidence of a cyberattack, although federal authorities were continuing to examine the incident.

The National Security Agency was also assisting with the investigation.

Friday’s incident marked the first nationwide ground stop since January 2023, when a malfunction in an FAA computer system halted domestic departures for approximately 90 minutes.

Aviation analysts have warned that the latest disruption could affect airline schedules for several days, even though the technical failure has been resolved.

Officials expect the system to be operating normally ahead of the busy Thanksgiving travel period later this month.

Passengers scheduled to travel to, from or through the United States are being urged to check directly with their airlines before heading to the airport.

The FAA has not announced another nationwide ground stop, and flights are continuing to resume as airlines work through the backlog.

The nationwide grounding has ended, but the disruption to passengers and airline schedules is expected to continue.

This article was originally published by Antigua News Room. Read the original article here: U.S. flights resume after nationwide shutdown, but thousands remain canceled.