US flight ground stop disrupts thousands of trips as officials probe tech failure

UPDATE - follow-up to Nationwide FAA ground stop: nearly 11,000 flights delayed or canceled at airports across the US: Over 11,000 flights face delays or cancellations following a nationwide ground stop issued by the Federal Aviation Administration for all Friday departures.

Official Response

US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stated on X that a communication issue affected all Air Route Traffic Control Centers. Markwayne Mullin, the Department of Homeland Security director, confirmed during a news conference that preliminary investigations show no indication of a nefarious attack, pointing instead to a telecommunications outage. CNN reported that the outages stemmed from router malfunctions that began at Chicago Midway airport before spreading nationwide.

Ground Impact

Travelers crowded terminals at airports like Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, while terminals at other hubs saw passengers sitting on floors to check phone updates. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass monitored the situation through local airport leadership, and airports such as San Francisco International and John F Kennedy issued guidance to passengers. International carriers also felt the impact, with British Airways canceling a New York flight from Heathrow and Manchester airport warning of disruptions to Virgin Atlantic services.

Context

Flight ground stops prevent any aircraft from taking off while allowing planes currently airborne to land safely. This marks only the second nationwide ground stop of all departures since the September 11 attacks, following a brief domestic pause in January 2023. Congress previously approved $12.5 billion last year to upgrade the FAA communications network, while the agency and the White House requested an additional $30.1 billion on Friday.