US air traffic halted nationwide after major communications outage

A nationwide ground stop issued by the Federal Aviation Administration has delayed or canceled more than 11,000 flights across the United States. FlightAware data shows the order affects all flights scheduled to take off on Friday. US transportation secretary Sean Duffy stated on X that the stoppage stems from a communication issue affecting all Air Route Traffic Control Centers. FAA technicians are currently investigating the problem. An official FAA notice explains that the ground stop was put in place due to extraordinary circumstances and safety reasons.

Official Response

Markwayne Mullin, the Department of Homeland Security director, stated in a news conference that early checks show no sign of a nefarious attack. Mullin described the event as a telecommunications outage. The immediate priority involves ensuring that all planes currently airborne land safely. Officials have not provided a clear timeline for how long the stoppage will last. Homeland security is not ruling out any possibilities while trying to find the root cause. Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass reported she is in close contact with airport leadership to monitor the situation at LAX. Meanwhile, travelers at Ronald Reagan Washington national airport packed terminal seats and used luggage as makeshift desks while refreshing their phones for updates.

Context

A ground stop requires planes to stay on the ground and blocks them from taking off, though aircraft already in the air are generally allowed to complete their flights. This marks only the third time that all departing flights have been grounded across the US. The FAA manages over 44,000 flights daily using a workforce of more than 14,000 air traffic controllers.