The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has lifted the nationwide ground stop imposed on all US flight departures following a major telecommunications outage that disrupted air traffic control centres
across the country.
With the restriction removed, aircraft departures can now resume, bringing relief to thousands of stranded passengers.
11,000 Flights Delayed, 1.5 Million Passengers Stranded
Nearly 11,000 flights were delayed or cancelled at airports across the US, leaving an estimated 1.5 million passengers stranded, according to an analysis by data firm Cirium. The disruption also raised concerns about the vulnerability of the country’s aviation infrastructure, with officials initially unable to provide a timeline for restoring normal operations.
What Triggered The Halt Of Departures?
The FAA’s decision to suspend departures came after a communications failure affected all Air Route Traffic Control Centres (ARTCCs). An airline source told CNN that the outage originated from a problem involving network routers, which subsequently cascaded across the country. Major airlines had been warned that operations could remain suspended for the evening.
The FAA announced the nationwide ground stop at 3:54 pm ET (2054 GMT). At the time, 4,042 flights were airborne and headed towards US airports, according to Flightradar24. Aircraft already in the air continued towards their destinations, while departures remained suspended.
Shortly before the nationwide order, the FAA had also halted air traffic in Chicago because of communication difficulties affecting air traffic control.
Temporary Telecommunication Outage: FAA
US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy had earlier confirmed the disruption in a post on X, saying, “The Federal Aviation Administration issued a nationwide ground stop for all U.S. airports following a communication issue impacting all Air Route Traffic Control Centers. FAA technicians are investigating the issue. We will provide immediate updates as we have them.”
In a subsequent update, the FAA described the disruption as “a temporary telecommunications outage” and said the decision to halt departures had been taken “out of an abundance of caution.”
Before the restriction was lifted, officials had warned that restoring normal operations could take an extended period. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin had said there was no definitive timeframe for resolving the issue.
Chaos At Airport
The disruption triggered confusion at airports, with passengers reportedly being asked to leave aircraft shortly before departure. Airline personnel themselves appeared uncertain about the situation as the ground stop took effect.
Joseph Anderson, 72, who was attempting to travel from Las Vegas to Oakland, California, described the uncertainty surrounding the shutdown.
“So supposedly, nobody’s flying, but they haven’t told the public yet,” he said.
“We’re trying to debate whether or not we need to reschedule or drive or what, but if the whole country is stopped, that means the highways are going to be jammed too.”
‘No Sign Of Cyberattack Or Threat To US’
Authorities sought to reassure the public that the aviation shutdown was not triggered by an immediate security threat. Mullin said the communications failure was not linked to a threat against the United States and was unrelated to the Microsoft outage that disrupted businesses, public services and millions of users earlier in the week.
Preliminary assessments by law enforcement sources cited by CNN also indicated that the incident was not a cyberattack. President Donald Trump was briefed on the situation, while officials said all flights had been accounted for.
Mullin said there was no reason for the public to panic, adding that investigators were continuing to examine the circumstances surrounding the outage.
“This isn’t another 9/11,” he said.
“There was no indication, as of yet, that this was a nefarious attack against us, it’s just a telecommunication outage, as of right now,” Mullin said, while adding that officials were “not ruling out anything at this point.”
Second Nationwide Shutdown Since 9/11
Friday’s order marked only the second time since the September 11, 2001, terror attacks that such a nationwide aviation shutdown has been imposed in US airspace.
Following the 9/11 attacks, all aircraft were grounded across the country for several days. A separate nationwide halt was also briefly imposed in January 2023 after a failure in the system used to notify pilots about potential hazards.
The latest crisis has also brought renewed attention to the state of America’s air traffic control infrastructure.
Former Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood suggested that ageing technology could have played a role in the communications breakdown. Speaking to CNN affiliate WEEK from Peoria International Airport in Illinois, he pointed to the equipment air traffic controllers depend on to guide aircraft.
“Very old and antiquated” technology may have contributed to the disruption, LaHood said.
“I assume that there’s been some serious glitch with that technology,” he told the broadcaster, adding that he suspected the problem originated at an FAA facility. He described the nationwide ground stop as “a national calamity.”
Shutdown Comes Amid Push To Modernise US Air Traffic Control
The aviation crisis came just a day after Duffy formally asked Congress to approve $30 billion for upgrading and modernising the country’s air traffic control system.
In a letter to lawmakers, Duffy and Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought underlined the need for a comprehensive overhaul of the infrastructure supporting US aviation.
“This investment is critical to complete the modernisation of our national airspace – delivering a resilient telecommunications backbone for air traffic controllers, modern hardware and software, state-of-the-art control towers, and world-class airport infrastructure,” they wrote.
The timing also coincided with Microsoft issuing an apology over a global outage that had affected millions of users, businesses and public services. However, Mullin said Friday’s aviation disruption was not connected to that incident.
With inputs from AP, AFP
