US flight authority orders national ground stop over air traffic control 'communication issue'

The US Federal Aviation Administration grounded all departing flights nationwide on Friday after a communications ​failure hit ‌air traffic control centres across the country, disrupting ⁠thousands of flights.

The announcement means planes in the air may land, but those on the ground ‌cannot take off. Flight tracking service FlightAware said nearly 7,000 ⁠flights were delayed or cancelled due to the nationwide ground stop.

“The FAA issued a nationwide ground stop for all US airports ​following a communication issue impacting all Air Route Traffic ‌Control Centres. FAA technicians are investigating the issue. We will provide immediate updates as we have them,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said.

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 ageing 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.

Shortly ​before the announcement, the FAA halted traffic in Chicago ​due to air traffic control communications issues. The agency said, "All departing traffic should remain groundstopped until further ​notice." The FAA said it would manage international flights on a case-by-case basis.

Friday's halt 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.