Federal Aviation Administration Issues Ground Stop for All U.S. Airports

Federal aviation officials halted departures across the country on Friday afternoon because of communication problems at air traffic control centers, forcing airlines to ground flights.

That service interruption stemmed from an exceptional Federal Aviation Administration directive issued roughly right before noon Alaska time on Nov. 13, requiring all airline carriers across the United States to keep departing aircraft grounded until further notice. The agency attributed the decision to communication problems affecting multiple regional air traffic control centers that direct aircraft traveling between airports.

While aircraft currently airborne were permitted to proceed to their intended destinations, incoming international flights were evaluated individually on a case-by-case basis. This marks only the second nationwide ground stop in the United States since the September 11 terror attacks in 2001.

FAA issues nationwide ground stop for all US airports over communications failure — FOX 5 Washington DC

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed that the problem involved communications at 22 regional air traffic control centers nationwide. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin addressed public concerns regarding the sudden disruption.

“We had no reason to believe that — as of right now — that this was a threat to the United States,” Markwayne Mullin said. “It’s just a telecommunications outage … everybody’s safe. There’s no reason to be concerned about your loved ones if they’re flying.”

Regional impact in Alaska

For remote communities, the interruption struck during peak afternoon travel hours. A flight from Juneau to Anchorage ran nearly 40 minutes behind schedule as the restrictions took hold. The capital city has no road connection to the continental highway network, making scheduled air service essential for residents traveling to Anchorage or Seattle.

Rare nationwide ground stop ordered at airports over communication issues: FAA — ABC7 News Bay Area

Alaska Airlines said that it canceled some flights and diverted others because of the significance of the ground stop. Flights within Alaska and Neighbor Island flights in Hawaii are not impacted.

Investigation and restoration efforts

Federal officials had not established the underlying cause of the communication failure or provided a firm timeline for restoring normal departures during their initial statements. Investigators are examining the telecommunications infrastructure to determine what triggered the widespread outage across regional centers.