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FAA Orders Nationwide Ground Stop Due to 'Extraordinary Circumstances'

8:03 PM ETConfirmedShare via:          

Entertainment Desk

In Short: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered a nationwide ground stop, halting all flights from U.S. airports on Friday, due to 'extraordinary circumstances' and 'reasons of safety,' according to a statement posted on the FAA's X account.

Over 7,800 flights delayed after US declares nationwide ground stop: FlightAware. Roya News English

The ground stop was issued shortly before 4 p.m. ET, affecting all departing traffic and inbound international flights on a case-by-case basis.

This is the second time since September 11, 2001, that such a stop has been ordered, with the last instance occurring in January 2023 due to FAA computer malfunctions.

At the time of the ground stop, approximately 3,100 aircraft were airborne and bound for U.S. Airports, according to FlightRadar24, a flight tracking site.

The FAA cited a communication issue impacting multiple Air Route Traffic Control Centers as the reason for the ground stop, leading to an equipment outage.

The ground stop directive stated that aircraft cannot take off from departure gates, and airports were directed to hold departing traffic.

According to NBC News, daily operations typically involve about 25,000 flights in U.S. Domestic markets, highlighting the significant impact of the ground stop.

European departures are resuming at Philadelphia International Airport amid the nationwide ground stop, according to an FAA official.

What's confirmed

• The Federal Aviation Administration has ordered a nationwide ground stop, halting all flights from United States airports.
• It’s just the second time since Sept. 11, 2001 that such a stop has been ordered.
• The Federal Aviation Administration issued a nationwide ground stop on all air traffic at U.S. airports Friday due to "extraordinary circumstances."
• Secretary Sean Duffy posted on X at 4:16 p.m. regarding the nationwide ground stop: The @FAAnews issued a nationwide ground stop for all U.S. airports following a communication issue impacting all Air Route Traffic Control Centers.
• The move follows a rare stop order from the Federal Aviation Administration, citing "extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety."
• The FAA ordered a nationwide ground stop, directing airports to hold departing traffic due to "extraordinary circumstances."

What's still developing

• The FAA notice said the ground stop was being imposed "due to extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety."
• An extremely rare nationwide ground stop was issued at airports across the US Friday – and the flight fiasco is being blamed on a botched software update, sources told The Post.
• The FAA said last week that it plans to eliminate the floppy disks used to store weather and other critical information at more than 400 air traffic facilities nationwide by the end of 2028.
• The Federal Aviation Administration said Friday afternoon that it has grounded all flights across the United States due to “extraordinary circumstances” and issues related to safety.
• The advisory listed the ground stop’s event window as beginning at 4:53 p.m.

Sources

• 5 EYEWITNESS NEWSlink
• ABC15 Arizonalink
• CBS Newslink
• ClickOnDetroit | WDIV Local 4link
• Deadlinelink
• Fox Businesslink
• Houston Public Medialink
• LiveNOW from FOXlink
• Louisville Public Medialink
• NBC Newslink
• NBC10 Philadelphialink
• New York Postlink
• Newsweeklink
• TechCrunchlink
• WPEClink
• WZTVlink
• Roya News English — video link
• ABC 10 News — video link
• CNN — video link