The FAA halted all departing U.S. flights Friday. Officials cite a communications outage at air traffic control centers.
The Federal Aviation Administration on Friday issued a rare nationwide ground stop on all departing flights, citing “extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety.” The order was first issued at 3:54 p.m. ET. It is the first nationwide ground stop since January 2023, when a key FAA computer system malfunctioned.
The FAA said the move followed communication issues affecting multiple Air Route Traffic Control Centers, the facilities that direct planes flying between airports. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the problem affected all of those centers. An air traffic advisory said all departing traffic should remain ground stopped until further notice. Inbound international flights are being managed case by case.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin called it a telecommunications outage and said there is no indication so far that it was a nefarious attack. The FAA has not explained what caused it, though CBS News reported that a communications system crashed and rebooted.
Delays were issued at major airports in Boston, Atlanta, Miami, Pittsburgh, New York City, Los Angeles and Baltimore. Delta Air Lines said none of its flights were departing, while flights already in the air would continue to their destinations. Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines said flights within Alaska and Hawaii can still depart, though both carriers canceled some flights and diverted others.
Officials have given no timeline for resolving the ground stop, and cancellations are climbing. A source told CNN that major airlines could shut down for the evening. WCVB reported that recovery could take days. The website where the FAA posts alerts appeared to be working only intermittently. Passengers should check with their airlines for the latest on their flights.
This report draws on CBS News, ABC News, CNN, PBS NewsHour, Axios, Gizmodo and WCVB.