FAA issues nationwide ground stop, affecting over 11,000 flights

The Federal Aviation Administration announced a nationwide ground stop on Friday, halting all scheduled departures and affecting more than 11,000 flights, according to flight-tracking data. The agency said the measure was taken "due to extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety" after a communications outage impacted all Air Route Traffic Control Centers.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy posted on X that FAA technicians were investigating the issue. Homeland Security Director Markwayne Mullin told reporters that early investigations do not show the outage was linked to a malicious attack, describing it as a telecommunications failure. He added that the priority was to ensure aircraft already in the air could land safely while the cause was being identified.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said she was receiving updates from Los Angeles World Airports and would continue to monitor the situation with federal and state partners. At Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, passengers and gate agents sought information on their devices as the stoppage continued.

The FAA, which employs more than 14,000 air traffic controllers to manage roughly 44,000 daily departures, has previously grounded all departing flights only twice: after the September 11 attacks and in January 2023 due to a pilot-notification system glitch. Recent modernization efforts include the activation of the first digital control towers in Alaska and Florida. Congress approved $12.5 billion last year to upgrade the FAA’s aging communications system, and the agency, together with the White House, has asked for an additional $30.1 billion to address further infrastructure needs.