FAA grounds all US flights over air traffic control communication outage
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered a nationwide ground stop on all departing US flights after a telecommunications failure affected Air Route Traffic Control Centers, stranding passengers at major airports.
FAA Orders Nationwide Ground Stop Over Air Traffic Control Communication Failure
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered a nationwide ground stop on all departing flights across the United States on Friday, halting takeoffs at every US airport after a telecommunications outage affected air traffic control centres. The agency cited “extraordinary circumstances” and reasons of safety, directing all departing traffic to remain on the ground until further notice while technicians investigated the communication failure.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the FAA issued the ground stop following a communication issue impacting all Air Route Traffic Control Centers, which coordinate aircraft movements between airports across the country. The FAA later confirmed that a temporary telecommunications outage was responsible and that all flights had been accounted for.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Action | Nationwide ground stop for all US airports |
| Reason | Temporary telecommunications outage affecting Air Route Traffic Control Centers |
| Inbound international flights | Handled on a case-by-case basis |
| Airborne aircraft | About 3,100 aircraft already in the air heading toward US airports |
| Delays | 10,343 total delays within, in, or out of the US |
| Cancellations | 2,044 total cancellations |
| Congressional funding approved | $12.5 billion over five years in 2025 |
| Additional funding requested | $30.1 billion |
| Floppy disk replacement deadline | End of 2028 |
Passengers Stranded as Major Airports Suspend Departures
The disruption affected several major airports, including Atlanta, Washington DC, Miami, Los Angeles, New York, Houston, Ronald Reagan Washington National, Baltimore/Washington, Las Vegas’ Harry Reid International, and Philadelphia International. Airports confirmed that departures were suspended and advised passengers to check directly with their airlines for updates on individual flights.
Passengers aboard some arriving flights reported being held on the tarmac, with aircraft unable to proceed to their designated gates. A passenger arriving at Los Angeles International from Newark told the BBC that the aircraft could not taxi to its gate because another plane scheduled to depart was being prevented from taking off. Another passenger who had landed in Austin said travelers had been instructed to “sit tight” because they were not being allowed to disembark.
Flight-tracking website Flightradar24 reported that approximately 3,100 aircraft were already airborne and heading toward US airports when the ground stop was announced, and that no additional aircraft were taking off at the time. As of 5:47 p.m. ET, FlightAware recorded 10,343 total delays within, in, or out of the US, with 2,044 total cancellations.
Airlines Adjust Operations as Travelers Face Weekend Disruption
Major airlines began announcing operational adjustments. United Airlines said new domestic flights would not depart while the ground stop remained in force, although international departures would be managed on a case-by-case basis in consultation with the FAA. American Airlines said flights already in the air would continue to their destinations, but warned that disruptions to its regular schedule were expected for the remainder of the day.
Delta said it has a travel waiver in place allowing customers with flexible travel plans to change their flight at no extra cost. Amtrak said it was experiencing higher-than-normal call volumes due to the nationwide ground stop.
Notices appeared on the official websites, apps, and social media sites of United Airlines, Alaska Airlines, JetBlue, Delta Airlines, and American Airlines. Alaska’s app simply said departures were paused due to a nationwide ground stop. JetBlue told customers they would be notified if their flight was disrupted.
Officials Rule Out Attack, Point to Aging Infrastructure
US Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin sought to reassure the public, saying there was no indication that the incident was an attack against the country.
“This is a telecommunications outage,” Mullin said, adding that “everybody’s safe” and all flights had been accounted for.
Markwayne Mullin, US Homeland Security Secretary, via pmnewsnigeria.com
Mullin repeatedly dismissed comparisons with the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, saying: “This isn’t another 9/11. This is a telecommunication outage, this is much different.” He also said the disruption was not connected to the ongoing Microsoft outage, while acknowledging that officials did not yet know what caused the telecommunications failure or how long it would take to resolve.
Mullin said President Donald Trump had taken the lead in responding to the situation and made resources available to help agencies coordinate their efforts. “Every agency that has an asset involved in this… we’re all working together,” he said.
The incident renewed attention on the state of America’s air traffic control infrastructure. BBC international business correspondent Theo Leggett noted that some US air traffic control systems were outdated, with certain operations still relying on technologies such as floppy disks. Congress approved $12.5 billion over five years in 2025 for upgrades, while the FAA recently pledged to replace systems that still depend on floppy disks by the end of 2028. On Friday, the White House and Transportation Department asked Congress for an additional $30.1 billion, including $10.1 billion for air traffic control modernization, $2 billion for control towers and $18 billion for airport projects.
The system is also grappling with a shortage of air traffic controllers as the agency works to replace aging infrastructure ahead of holiday travel season.
Canada Monitors Situation as US Airspace Remains Partially Closed
Canada’s air navigation provider, NAV CANADA, said its systems were operating normally and that the US disruption was not affecting flights within Canadian airspace. It added that it remained prepared to support aircraft diverted from US destinations.
The latest shutdown was a suspension of departures rather than a complete closure of US airspace. It followed a nationwide departure suspension in January 2023, when an outage affecting the FAA’s Notice to Air Missions system disrupted the distribution of essential safety information to pilots.
Unanswered Questions as Ground Stop Continues
The FAA had not initially provided a timetable for lifting the restrictions or identified the precise cause of the communications failure. Federal officials said every plane is accounted for and that they are not ruling out any cause at the moment. The agency added that the information is preliminary and subject to change.
The ground stop is likely to snarl air traffic with heavy delays, impacting thousands of travelers into the weekend. Whether technicians can restore communications quickly enough to resume departures before the end of the travel day remains the central unresolved question.
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