US Aviation Agency Halts All Domestic Departures Following Technical Breakdown

The Federal Aviation Administration grounded all flights across the United States on Friday afternoon due to extraordinary safety circumstances caused by an equipment outage. According to an alert from the Air Traffic Control System Command Center, all departing flights must stay at their departure gates until further notice. Inbound international flights are handled individually on a case-by-case basis, while planes currently airborne are permitted to land safely.

Official Response

US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stated in a social media post on X that agency technicians are actively investigating the situation, noting it stems from a communication issue affecting Air Traffic Control Centers. The main FAA website experienced a brief technical outage during the same period, displaying technical difficulty notices. An agency spokesperson did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Context

Nationwide ground stops across the United States are rare events in commercial aviation history. Previous major halts include the September 11 attacks in 2001 and a January 2023 stoppage caused by a critical data system failure affecting pilot warnings.