Flight operations have resumed at all airports across the United States after a temporary nationwide ground stop that lasted nearly four hours. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed the resumption during a press briefing at the White House on Friday local time.

Minister cites hardware failure

Speaking to reporters, Sean Duffy said aircraft were flying again in US airspace after approximately four hours. He attributed the disruption to "aging hardware." Officials also stated that there is no immediate threat to the United States at this time.

Cyberattack speculation dismissed

Following the temporary halt of all flight departures in the US, Homeland Security Secretary Markwen Mullin had earlier dismissed speculation that the incident was caused by a cyberattack or an artificial intelligence (AI) malfunction. He stated that no cyberattack had occurred and that the incident was not linked to Microsoft. Mullin reiterated the same position, confirming that neither a cyberattack nor a Microsoft outage caused the flight disruptions.

President briefed

The US President was briefed on the situation shortly after the incident. Authorities have indicated that there is no ongoing threat to the country. While flight operations are returning to normal, the incident has raised fresh questions about the aging infrastructure of the nation's aviation system.