US Flights Grounded Nationwide After Major Air Traffic Control Communications Failure

UPDATE - follow-up to Nationwide FAA ground stop: nearly 11,000 flights delayed or calculated at airports across the US: Over 11,000 US flights were delayed or canceled on Friday after the Federal Aviation Administration issued a nationwide ground stop due to a severe communications issue.

Official Response

US transportation secretary Sean Duffy stated on X that the stoppage stemmed from a communication issue affecting all Air Route Traffic Control Centers. Markwayne Mullin, the Department of Homeland Security director, confirmed in a news conference that preliminary checks show no sign 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. Meanwhile, the FAA and White House asked Congress for $30.1 billion to address ongoing issues, following a $12.5 billion approval last year to upgrade aging systems.

Airport Impact

Airports across the country faced immediate chaos as travelers packed terminals. Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass and California governor Gavin Newsom both responded to the disruption, with Newsom criticizing the administration for lacking clear updates. Lawmakers including US congressman Ro Khanna called for transparent communication and regular briefings for the public. While most airports remained halted, San Francisco international airport cleared flights bound for Hawaii and Asia, and international flights were managed case-by-case.

Context

A ground stop requires all aircraft to stay on the ground while planes already airborne are allowed to land safely. This marks only the third time in US history that all departing flights have been grounded nationwide, following the September 11 attacks and a January 2023 pilot notification system malfunction.