U.S. Grounds Flights Nationwide Following Communications Outage
A major communications failure prompted the FAA to halt flights nationwide Friday, causing thousands of delays and cancellations.
by COLlive Reporter · COLliveThe Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered a nationwide ground stop at all U.S. airports on Friday, November 13, after a major communications failure affected air traffic control centers nationwide.
The rare nationwide disruption halted departing flights, with officials instructing aircraft to remain on the ground until further notice.
“The FAA issued a nationwide ground stop for all U.S. airports following communication issues impacting multiple Air Route Traffic Control Centers,” the agency said in a statement reported by Fox News. “FAA technicians are investigating the issue. We will provide updates.”
The FAA described the situation as involving “extraordinary circumstances” and said the order was issued for safety reasons.
International flights already heading toward the United States were being handled on a case-by-case basis. According to flight-tracking service Flightradar24, approximately 3,100 aircraft were en route to U.S. airports immediately after the ground stop was announced.
The disruption has since affected thousands of flights. Reuters reported that nearly 7,000 flights had been delayed or canceled, citing data from flight-tracking service FlightAware.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin sought to reassure the public that the disruption was not the result of a security threat.
“It’s a telecommunication outage,” Mullin said, according to Fox News. “I’m not going to get ahead of FAA. That’s their lane to talk about.”
Mullin emphasized that the situation was not comparable to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, when U.S. airspace was shut down.
The FAA also said it had ruled out a cyberattack as the cause of the communications failure.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed that FAA technicians were investigating the problem.
The nationwide ground stop is only the second such order issued since the September 11 attacks, Fox News reported.
The previous nationwide ground stop occurred on January 11, 2023, when a failure of the FAA’s Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) system caused thousands of flight delays and hundreds of cancellations.
The Associated Press reported that officials had not provided a timetable for the resumption of normal flight operations.
Airports across the country are urging passengers to check directly with their airlines for flight updates before heading to the airport, particularly those planning to travel ahead of Shabbos.
Federal officials are continuing their efforts to restore communications and resume normal air traffic operations.
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