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FAA Orders Nationwide Ground Stop Amid Communications Issues
· Confirmed
In Short: On Friday afternoon, the FAA issued a nationwide ground stop, halting all departing flights due to communications issues at regional air traffic control centers, according to Fox Business and KOCO.
Over 7,800 flights delayed after US declares nationwide ground stop: FlightAware.
LIVE: FAA lifts nationwide ground stop. Associated Press
On Friday afternoon, the FAA issued a nationwide ground stop, halting all departing flights due to communications issues at regional air traffic control centers, according to Fox Business and KOCO.
Justthenews and Geekwire reported that the ground stop was lifted after 8 p.m., with more than 10,000 delays and over 1,700 cancellations as of early Friday evening.
Mullin, the newly confirmed DHS Secretary, was briefing reporters when the ground stop was announced. He told Mediaite and NBC News that the FAA had cited 'extraordinary circumstances' and 'reasons of safety' as the motivation for the ground stop.
Mullin told the Latintimes that the introduction of new technology into the air traffic control system had overwhelmed it, and he estimated that a complete overhaul would cost $50 billion. He specifically referred to the SMART system, which the FAA had expanded to all 22 of its Air Route Traffic Control Centers three days before the ground stop.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the most recent full ground stop lasted about 90 minutes in January 2023 when a pilot notification system went down.
The FAA's decision to ground all flights was made out of an abundance of caution, as reported by Wgbh and Lamag. Flights already in the air were allowed to land, while international flights were managed on a case-by-case basis.
Mullin further told Woai that there was no indication of a nefarious act against the FAA, and the warning was issued due to a communications disruption.
The FAA's decision to ground all flights was unprecedented since January 2023, when a key FAA computer system malfunctioned, and the second since the aftermath of September 11, 2001, as reported by KOCO and Security Info Watch.
What's confirmed
- An hours-long nationwide ground stop issued by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Friday afternoon was lifted after 8 p.m.
- The nationwide ground stop was the first since January 2023, when a key FAA computer system malfunctioned, and the second since the aftermath of the Sept.
- The FAA has cited “extraordinary circumstances” and “reasons of safety” as the motivation for the ground stoppage, which resulted in more than 10,000 delays and more than 1,700 cancellations as of early Friday evening.
What's still developing
- Hours before the ground stop, the White House and the Department of Transportation asked Congress for an additional $30.1 billion to modernize aviation infrastructure, including $10.1 billion for air traffic control, AeroTime reported.
Sources
- Fox Businesslink
- Geekwirelink
- Justthenewslink
- KOCOlink
- Latintimeslink
- Los Angeles Timeslink
- Mediaitelink
- NBC Newslink
- Security Info Watchlink
- Washingtonexaminerlink
- Westernjournallink
- Woailink
- Lamaglink
- Bloglink
- Wgbhlink
- Associated Press — video link
- USA TODAY — video link
- Dan the Computer Man — video link
- NBC News — video link
- Gray Hughes Investigates — video link
- Fox News — video link