Aliens, nukes or cyber sabotage? Four-hour shutdown of US flights fuels theories

A four-hour shutdown of US flight departures sent passengers into a panic, fuelling theories of alien activity cyber sabotage. Here’s what reportedly went wrong

Aliens, a cyberattack or another global tech meltdown? As flights across the United States were grounded for over four hours on Friday, November 13, wild theories took off online while stranded passengers scrambled for answers.

Flights across the United States were grounded for over four hours on Friday, November 13. (Photo: Bing Guan/ Bloomberg)

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) halted departures nationwide following a communications failure, lifting the ground stop at 8.15pm Eastern Time. By late Friday, more than 10,000 delays and 4,000 cancellations had been recorded across the US.

With little clarity initially, social media was abuzz with speculation. On Reddit, a user identifying themselves as a flight attendant questioned the sudden shutdown, drawing parallels with the recent Microsoft outage. The incident also caught the attention of UFO enthusiasts, with discussions emerging about whether something more mysterious was unfolding in American skies.

“I am a frequent flyer and this is the most unusual experience I have had. When every gate stopped boarding simultaneously and screens went blank, everyone around me whispered that it had to be a massive cyberattack on US air traffic systems. That was the first thought,” says Ankoush Gaba, who was flying from New York’s LaGuardia Airport. At John F Kennedy International Airport, passenger Brendon Cormier suspected another technology failure. “With Microsoft services already glitching globally this week, my first thought was another giant tech outage crashing airline servers.” His partner, Rita Cormier, feared something more sinister. “Seeing every plane grounded across the country instantly takes your mind toward a possible terror threat. The silence at the boarding gates with no one having any answers was eerie.”