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The United States experienced a day of uncertainty on Friday, November 13, 2026, when the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered the suspension of flight departures across the country due to problems with its communication systems. Hours later, authorities explained the reason for the airspace closure; however, some citizens expressed their doubts about the motive, especially because a video of an alleged UFO sighting in an American city began to circulate; the clip has sparked all kinds of theories.
Why did they close the United States airspace on November 13, 2026?
The FAA ordered a nationwide suspension of flight departures after detecting communication problems that affected several air traffic control centers.
Officials from President Donald Trump's government said that new technology that was being connected to the national air traffic control system overloaded outdated equipment, as reported by AP. According to said authorities, this caused "intermittent" communications and radar gaps, which led to the closure of flights for more than four hours.
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According to AP, "the modernization of air traffic control began last year after Congress approved $12.5 billion in funding. Duffy and the White House are pushing for $30 billion more to complete the work."
Citizen reports UFO sighting during the airspace closure in the United States
On X, formerly Twitter, a user reported a sighting of an alleged UFO in the city of Tampa, Florida. "Is this why they are closing the airspace? Watching the sunset in Tampa and then this. #ufo," they wrote in the message accompanied by the video in which a kind of fireball is seen moving across the sky.
The coincidence between the flight interruption and this video fueled speculation on the internet and paved the way for different hypotheses regarding extraterrestrial presence. However, some internet users asserted that the sighting in Tampa was a SpaceX launch.
How long was US airspace suspended?
The suspension began on the afternoon of Friday, November 13, and was lifted at 8:15 p.m. Eastern Time, according to the Department of Transportation. Air operations were interrupted for approximately four hours.
During that period, planes that were already in the air were able to continue their operations and land safely. The order focused on stopping new departures while communication and radar problems were resolved.
Once the systems were restored, flights began to resume gradually. However, cancellations and delays continued because airlines needed to reorganize their aircraft, crews, and schedules. The disruption affected thousands of flights and left numerous passengers stranded at airports in the United States.
[Publicidad]