FAA orders nationwide ground stop for departing flights across the United States
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Friday ordered a nationwide ground stop, suspending departing flights at airports across the United States following a telecommunications outage affecting air traffic control centers.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed the disruption in a post on X, explaining that a communications problem was affecting air traffic control centers responsible for managing aircraft en route across the country. FAA technicians were investigating the issue.
In a notice issued through the Air Traffic Control System Command Center, the FAA cited “extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety” as the grounds for halting departures nationwide.
The disruption affected all 22 regional air route traffic control centers, which coordinate aircraft movements between airports. The suspension was scheduled to remain in effect until at least 11 p.m. Eastern Time, although the situation remained subject to further updates.
The ground stop did not mean that aircraft already in the air were required to land immediately. Officials confirmed that planes already airborne had been accounted for and were continuing toward their destinations under established safety procedures. International inbound flights were to be handled on a case-by-case basis.
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin said there is no indication that an attack was behind the nationwide flight departure suspension and confirmed that it was not related to a terrorist attack.
Among the airports reporting significant disruptions were some of the busiest in the country, including Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Chicago O’Hare International Airport, Denver International Airport and Los Angeles International Airport.
Other major airports experiencing delays included John F. Kennedy International Airport and LaGuardia Airport in New York, as well as Boston Logan, Orlando International and San Francisco International.
The telecommunications outage has renewed concerns about the vulnerability of the country’s air traffic control infrastructure and the need for technological modernization.
The incident marks the first nationwide flight suspension since January 2023, when an FAA computer system failure disrupted the distribution of critical safety information to pilots.
Airlines urged passengers to check directly with their carriers for updated flight information, as delays and cancellations were expected to continue even after the ground stop was lifted.
