US flight cancellations: Air India issues advisory amid outage; here’s how you can check if your flight is impacted

Air India has issued a travel advisory amid widespread flight disruptions across the US following a communications outage. Passengers travelling to and from the country have been advised to check their flight status online before heading to the airport.

Air India on Saturday issued a travel advisory following widespread flight disruptions across the United States due to a communications outage. The airline advised passengers to check the status of their flights departing from or arriving at airports across the country.

In a social media post, the Indian carrier wrote, "A nationwide ground stop is currently in effect across the US due to communication outages affecting air traffic operations. As a result, departures from airports across the U.S. are impacted, with possible consequential disruptions to Air India flights to and from the U.S. Passengers are advised to check the latest status of their flights and plan their journey to the airport accordingly."

It added, “Our teams continue to closely monitor the situation and will share updates as available.”

Quick answers to key questions

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QUESTIONS

The FAA ordered a nationwide ground stop after a temporary telecommunications outage affected air traffic control operations. Departures were halted as a precaution while the issue was investigated.

Visit Air India’s website, select “Book and Manage,” then “Flight Status,” and enter your flight number, PNR or route and travel date. You can also use Air India’s Flight Status page directly.

Yes. Air India warned that the nationwide ground stop could cause consequential disruptions to its flights to and from the US, and advised passengers to check their flight status.

Check the latest status of your flight before travelling to the airport. Air India advised passengers to plan their journey according to the latest updates.

The ground stop applied to departing traffic; it did not require aircraft already airborne to land immediately. Those flights continued towards their destinations while authorities coordinated their safe landing.

Why are airports across the US seeing disruptions?

On Friday (local time), US authorities halted flights nationwide for the longest period since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, highlighting vulnerabilities in the country's air traffic control system, Bloomberg reported.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced a ground stop covering airports across the country in an advisory posted on its website on Friday afternoon. It stated that all departing traffic would remain halted until further notice. The agency later attributed the disruption to a temporary telecommunications outage.

The FAA said, "Every flight has been accounted for, and international flights will be handled on a case-by-case basis."

Although a handful of international flights were allowed to depart a few hours after the grounding began, passengers were left stranded at airports across the country, roughly two weeks ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday, with little clarity on when normal operations would resume.

According to reports, the latest incident marks the third nationwide ground stop in US history, following a 2023 disruption involving the FAA's safety notification system for pilots and dispatchers and the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001.

With flight operations affected across the country, passengers travelling to or from the US may want to check whether their scheduled flights have been delayed or cancelled. Here's how to check your flight status online.

How to check online if your flight is affected

Here is a step-by-step guide to checking whether your flight has been affected by the outage:

1. Visit Air India's official website: www.airindia.com.

2. Click on the 'Book and Manage' option on the homepage.

3. Select 'Flight Status' from the drop-down menu.

4. Enter your details. You can use your flight number, PNR, or route, along with your travel date.

5. Click on 'Get Flight Status' to view the latest updates.

Alternatively, you can visit Air India's Flight Status page (https://www.airindia.com/in/en/manage/flight-status.html) directly to check your flight details.

About the Author

Swati Gandhi is a digital journalist with over four years of experience, specialising in international and geopolitical issues. Her work focuses on foreign policy, global power shifts, and the political and economic forces shaping international relations, with a particular emphasis on how global developments affect India. She approaches journalism with a strong belief in context-driven reporting, aiming to break down complex global events into clear, accessible narratives for a wide readership.<br><br> Previously, Swati has worked at Business Standard, where she covered a range of beats including national affairs, politics, and business. This diverse newsroom experience helped her build a strong grounding in reporting, while also strengthening her ability to work across both breaking news and in-depth explanatory stories. Covering multiple beats early in her career has helped her be informed about her current work, allowing her to connect domestic developments with wider international trends.<br><br> At Live Mint, she focuses on international and geopolitical issues through a business and economic lens, examining how global political developments, foreign policy decisions, and power shifts impact markets, industries, and India’s strategic and economic interests.<br><br> She holds a Bachelor’s degree in English (Honours) from the University of Delhi and a Master’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University. Her academic training has shaped her emphasis on precision, analytical rigour, and clarity in writing. Her interests include global political economy and the intersection of geopolitics with business.<br><br> Outside work, Swati focuses on exploring her passion and love for food. From fancy cafes to street spots, Swati explores food like a true foodie.