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FAA's new SMART AI tool denied role in nationwide ground stop that halted US flights

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Summary

  • The FAA expanded its $875 million SMART AI advisory tool from Washington, D.C. airspace to all 22 US air route traffic control centers in November 2026.
  • On November 13, 2026, a nationwide ground stop halted US flight departures for hours, cancelling nearly 10,000 flights just before the Thanksgiving travel rush.
  • Officials blamed overloaded routers during copper-to-fiber replacement work; the FAA lifted the stop at 8:15 p.m. ET and flights resumed.
  • Air Space Intelligence, which built SMART, denied it caused the stop, and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the system was not plugged in.
  • Democrats in Congress had urged a pause and a Government Accountability Office audit of SMART in October, citing inadequate testing and controller training.
  • The National Air Traffic Controllers Association said it was not consulted on SMART's design, testing, or implementation.

Reactions

  • The National Air Traffic Controllers Association said it was not consulted or involved in the design, testing, or implementation of SMART.
  • Lawmakers led by Senator Chris Van Hollen and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez urged a pause and asked the GAO to audit the FAA's AI systems.
  • Air Space Intelligence said the ground stop was not based on or a result of SMART or its integration with the FAA.
  • Sean Duffy blamed contractor L3Harris over a faulty or badly installed router and asked Congress for $50 billion to rebuild the air traffic system.
  • Markwayne Mullin said there was no evidence of a cyberattack and that new equipment and technology were overwhelming the older system.
  • Marjorie Taylor Greene claimed, without evidence, that the administration was lying and called the press conference a shakedown for $50 billion.

Timeline newest first

  1. At a November 13, 2026 press conference, Sean Duffy blamed old equipment and asked Congress for $50 billion, while Markwayne Mullin said new equipment and technology was overwhelming the older system.
  2. On October 16, 2026, more than 20 members of Congress asked the Government Accountability Office to audit the FAA's FMDS and SMART air traffic systems.
  3. On October 9, 2026, Senator Chris Van Hollen and six House members urged the FAA to pause the SMART air traffic tool until it answered questions about safety testing and oversight.
  4. Nearly 10,000 flights were cancelled during the November 13 ground stop, the longest nationwide shutdown of US flight departures since the September 11, 2001 attacks.
  5. Sean Duffy said aging routers became overloaded with data; Markwayne Mullin said there was no evidence of a cyber-attack.
  6. By Saturday morning after the ground stop, almost 15 percent of US flights had been cancelled and the number was still climbing.
  7. Sean Duffy said the outage was traced to routine work replacing copper wires with fiber at a single remote facility, and authorities focused on contractor L3Harris.
  8. Marjorie Taylor Greene claimed, without evidence, that the administration was lying and the November 13 grounding was a cyberattack.
  9. The FAA lifted the nationwide ground stop at 8:15 p.m. ET on November 13; FlightAware counted more than 6,200 delays and 3,400 cancellations by early Saturday.
  10. Air Space Intelligence denied the SMART system caused the ground stop, and Sean Duffy said SMART "isn't plugged in" and asked Congress for $50 billion.
  11. The November 13 ground stop stranded hundreds of thousands of travelers, delaying more than 10,000 flights and cancelling at least 1,700 by Friday evening.
  12. On November 13, 2026, the FAA grounded all US flights citing a temporary telecommunications outage, the first nationwide ground stop since January 2023.
  13. Markwayne Mullin would not rule out a cyber attack or AI intrusion and said officials were examining the new SMART air traffic tool.
  14. On November 10, 2026, the FAA said it would expand SMART to all 22 centers nationwide after it rerouted 180 flights, saving 10 minutes and 80 gallons of fuel per flight.
  15. The National Air Traffic Controllers Association said it was not consulted or involved in the design, testing, or implementation of SMART.
  16. On October 13, 2026, six House members led by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez urged the FAA to pause the SMART tool deployed at Reagan National, Dulles, and Baltimore/Washington airports.
  17. On September 21, 2026, the FAA launched the $875 million SMART system over the Washington, D.C. region, as a cut fiber optic line paused flights in the Northeast.

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Background newest first