President Donald Trump said there is no indication that the nationwide US flight ground stop was caused by a cyberattack or artificial intelligence, according to Fox News’s Peter Doocy. The president instead pointed to ageing aviation infrastructure as investigators continued to determine the cause of the unprecedented disruption.
The comments came hours after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) halted departures across the country following a telecommunications outage that affected air traffic operations.
Speaking to Doocy, Trump said the disruption appeared to stem from “old broken stuff” within the aviation system that his administration had attempted to modernise. He added that no group had claimed responsibility for a cyberattack, making such a scenario appear unlikely based on the information available so far.
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Officials say no evidence of national security threat
Homeland Security chief Markwayne Mullin said there was no indication that the United States was under attack, although authorities had not ruled out any possibility while the investigation continued.
“There was no indication, as of yet, that this was a nefarious attack against us. It’s just a telecommunication outage, as of right now,” Mullin told reporters outside the White House after meeting Trump.
He stressed that the disruption was not comparable to the September 11 terrorist attacks. “This isn’t another 9/11. I just can’t repeat that enough,” Mullin said.
When asked whether investigators could later determine that hackers were responsible, Mullin said officials were “not ruling out anything at this point.” He said authorities were examining every possible explanation before reaching a conclusion.
Mullin also rejected suggestions that the aviation disruption was linked to a separate global Microsoft outage that affected public services and businesses in several countries. “I don’t see any reason to connect those two at all. Those are separate issues,” he said.
Investigation continues as flights gradually resume
Trump’s remarks echoed the cautious tone adopted by federal agencies.
The president said the US aviation network still depends on outdated systems that require significant upgrades. Modernising air traffic control infrastructure has been a recurring issue for successive administrations because of ageing telecommunications equipment and increasing air traffic demand.
Mullin stated that the introduction of new technology into an outdated air traffic control system overwhelmed it. He estimated that the system needs funds for a thorough renovation, which would cost $50 billion.
According to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, the US air traffic control system is “incredibly old” and depends on an analog system that became overloaded with data. He said, “This is an emergency,” and urged Congress to provide emergency cash for improvements.