Summary FAA orders nationwide US flight ground stop over telecommunications outage, disrupting departures as Homeland Security Secretary reassures passengers about safety.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Friday issued a nationwide ground stop for all departing flights, citing “extraordinary circumstances and reasons for safety.”
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin sought to reassure the public, saying all flights were accounted for and there was no reason for people to be afraid. He said there was no indication that the disruption was the result of a deliberate attack, describing the incident as a telecommunications outage.
Under the FAA order, aircraft already in the air were permitted to land, while planes on the ground were prohibited from taking off. International flights were to be handled on a case-by-case basis.
The nationwide suspension followed an earlier halt to air traffic in Chicago due to communications problems. The disruption raised concerns across the US aviation sector, affecting flight operations and passengers at airports nationwide.
Friday's action marked the second time since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks that authorities had ordered a nationwide ground stop for all departing flights. Authorities have not indicated that the telecommunications outage was caused by a deliberate attack, while flight operations remain subject to the FAA's safety directives.
Has this ever happened before?
Friday was the second nationwide ground stop of all departures since the September 11, 2001, attacks.
The other happened in January 2023, when the FAA paused all domestic departures for less than two hours.
Here's what we know
Two people briefed on the matter said the FAA began experiencing communications issues at various air traffic control and other centers that began growing across the country, which prompted the agency to issue the nationwide groundstop.
The FAA has not given an indication when it will be able to lift the ground stop.
How many flights have been affected?
Tracking service FlightAware said nearly 7,000 flights were delayed or cancelled due to the nationwide ground stop. The US aviation network is one of the world's busiest. The disruption threatens to ripple across one of the world's busiest aviation networks.
US airlines operated an average of about 24,000 domestic flights and recorded roughly 2.3 million passenger boardings per day in the 12 months through August 2026, according to a Reuters calculation based on US Bureau of Transportation Statistics data.
Longstanding issues with the US air traffic control system
The disruption is the latest sign of strain on the US air traffic control system, which has been beset by equipment failures, communications problems and shortages of controllers while the FAA tries to replace aging infrastructure. Congress approved $12.5 billion for the overhaul last year, and the FAA and White House asked lawmakers on Friday for another $30.1 billion.
