FAA Halts All U.S. Flights Over Air Traffic Control Glitch
A nationwide ground stop took effect Friday afternoon, marking the second such event since the 2001 attacks.
By Pedro Tanaka ·
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered a complete stop to commercial air traffic across the United States on Friday afternoon. This action marks only the second nationwide ground stop since the September 11, 2001, attacks. The directive was issued due to what officials described as extraordinary circumstances stemming from communications failures at regional air traffic control centers.
The most recent similar incident occurred in January 2023, when a malfunction in a key FAA computer system forced a pause in operations. Before that, the last nationwide halt dates back to the immediate aftermath of the 2001 attacks. The current disruption threatens to affect thousands of scheduled flights through at least late Friday night.
The nation's top homeland security official attributed the issue to a telecommunications outage. No evidence of a malicious act has been identified so far. The stoppage forced aircraft on the ground to hold position while controllers resolved the communication gaps.
Jeff Dubner, a Washington attorney, experienced the delay firsthand. He was preparing to depart Los Angeles for home on an Alaska Airlines flight. The plane was already 30 minutes behind schedule and taxiing to the runway when it stopped moving. Dubner called the situation frustrating and noted it sounded worse than a typical delay. He said he looked forward to learning the specific cause.
The ground stop upended travel plans for passengers nationwide. Airlines and airports began notifying customers of potential cancellations and rebooking options. The FAA maintained the order as it worked to restore full connectivity with regional centers.
The next phase of operations will depend on the restoration of the telecommunications network. Officials are monitoring the situation as the evening rush approaches. No specific timeline for resuming full flight operations was announced as of late Friday night.
