Europeupdated 23m ago2 min read
Archive photo · 16 August 2025Eurocontrol Suspends US-Bound Flight Departures From Member States at FAA Request
4 Asian2 Other1 Israeli1 Western MainstreamPhoto: OhanaUnited Talk page, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Cropped for layout
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Eurocontrol suspended all US-bound departures from its member states. The pause runs 2200 GMT Fri to 0500 GMT Sat, Nov 13–14, 2026.
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Eurocontrol pauses US departures
Eurocontrol suspended all flights departing from its member states for U.S. airports at the request of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration due to technical issues.
Eurocontrol set the suspension window for departures between 2200 GMT on Friday and 0500 GMT on Saturday, and Eurocontrol’s Network Manager Operations Center in Brussels said it was closely monitoring the situation.
Eurocontrol described the measure as covering departures from its 42 member states, including Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Türkiye.
ProtoThema English said Eurocontrol’s statement applied from 5pm on Friday until midnight, US Eastern Time, while Eurocontrol’s notice specified the 2200 GMT to 0500 GMT window.
The Times of Israel said the halt applied to US-bound flights from Eurocontrol nations, including Israel, at the FAA’s request.
FAA outage, no cyberattack
The FAA requested the suspension after a telecommunications failure disrupted communications across multiple Air Route Traffic Control Centers in the United States, and Dimsum Daily said the ground stop lasted hours. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the outage originated with overloaded network equipment and highlighted the strain on ageing systems. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin told reporters there was “no cyberattack” and “no connection between this and Microsoft,” and he said there was “no indication of a threat to the country.”
ProtoThema English said the FAA requested the suspension due to unspecified technical issues, while Dimsum Daily tied the disruption to a telecommunications failure. Global Times said Eurocontrol was monitoring and would provide updates after the suspension notice posted at 2303 GMT.
What travelers face next
Eurocontrol’s Network Manager issued contingency guidance and rolling operational plans, and Dimsum Daily said airlines and airports warned that residual disruption, diversions and crew dislocations were likely to persist into the weekend.
Travelers were advised to monitor flight status closely and allow additional time at airports while operations stabilise following the suspension period.
Eurocontrol’s advisory specified a temporary suspension of US-bound departures from the ECAC area between 22:00 and 05:00 UTC, and TravelPirates said the restriction window did not shut down flights operating within Europe.
TravelPirates said the FAA permitted inbound international flights on a case-by-case basis, and it said aircraft already airborne could continue while new departures faced restrictions.
Deeparrival said Eurocontrol suspended all departures from its member states to U.S. airports from 2200 GMT on Friday, Nov. 13, 2026, to 0500 GMT on Saturday, Nov. 14, at the request of the FAA, citing technical issues.