FAA orders nationwide ground stop on US flights after a telecommunications outage hits air traffic control centres
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered every departing flight in the United States to stay on the ground on Friday afternoon, citing extraordinary circumstances and safety, after a telecommunications outage hit the air traffic control centres that guide planes between airports. The stop was still in effect on Friday evening, with departures to be allowed as the centres recover; nearly 7,000 flights were delayed or cancelled, Reuters reported, citing FlightAware.
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Key points
- The FAA ordered all US departing flights to stay on the ground at 3:54 p.m. Eastern on Friday, citing extraordinary circumstances and safety.
- Officials say a telecommunications outage hit the air traffic control centres that guide planes between airports; every flight was accounted for.
- The stop was still in effect on Friday evening, with departures to resume as centres recover; nearly 7,000 flights were delayed or cancelled.
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- At the FAA’s request, Eurocontrol suspended US-bound flights from its 42 member states, including Britain, France, Germany, Spain and Israel.
What happened
A ground stop is an FAA order that keeps departing aircraft on the ground. Friday's order was nationwide — every US airport — and it directed departing traffic to remain stopped until further notice, while flights already in the air continued to their destinations and inbound international flights were handled case by case.
Nationwide ground stops are rare: the last one was in January 2023, when the FAA's Notice to Air Missions system failed. On Friday, travellers across the country were left waiting at gates with no time given for a return to normal operations, and airlines told passengers to check with their carrier.
What we know / what we don't know yet
What we know
- That the FAA ordered a nationwide ground stop at 3:54 p.m. Eastern on Friday and that it was still in effect on Friday evening.
- That officials attribute it to a telecommunications outage affecting the air traffic control centres, and that every flight was accounted for.
- That nearly 7,000 flights were delayed or cancelled, on Reuters' count from FlightAware data.
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- That US-bound flights departing from Eurocontrol’s 42 member states were suspended at the FAA’s request, on Reuters’ report of Eurocontrol’s notice.
What we don't know yet
- The precise technical cause of the outage — it has not been identified, and no official finding has been published.
- When the ground stop will be fully lifted and normal operations restored — officials have given no timetable; the next Command Center update was due at 11 p.m. Eastern.
- The final totals for delays, cancellations and passengers affected.
Claim by claim
Show all claims (8)
Why this label: The advisory's wording is quoted in both reports; the order covers departures, and flights already in the air were not ordered to land.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: The secretary's own words, reported verbatim; what his statement will lead to is a separate question, carried in the don't-know list.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: The agency's own statement, quoted in the live reporting.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: The advisory windows are scheduled windows, not a confirmed time for a full return to normal operations.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: The secretary's statement, carried as his statement; the precise technical cause has not been identified in the reporting read.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: The figure is Reuters' count from FlightAware data and covers delays and cancellations together; it will grow as the disruption continues.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: The company's denial is its own statement; no official finding on the cause has been published.
On the ladder: the evidence so far sits low — early, single or social sources. We publish the claim as a claim, never as fact.
Why this label: Reuters’ report rests on Eurocontrol’s own posted notice; the Times of Israel’s live coverage carries the same suspension.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why it matters
Halting every departure in the world's busiest airspace strands hundreds of thousands of travellers and ripples into flights worldwide — and it raises a direct question about how the systems that keep planes separated could fail across all 22 en-route centres at once.
Background
The FAA halted departures nationwide after its Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) system failed — the previous nationwide ground stop.
The FAA's Command Center issues a nationwide ground stop, citing extraordinary circumstances and safety.
The FAA says a temporary telecommunications outage led it to halt all flights out of an abundance of caution, with every flight accounted for.
Update history
No silent edits. Every change is written here, with its time.
- Latest
The stop has spread beyond US airports: at the FAA’s request, Eurocontrol has suspended all US-bound flights departing from its 42 member states. The Homeland Security secretary says there is no known timetable for resolving the problems.
Published in Checking state — the ground stop, its scope and the officials' statements are confirmed, and checking continues as the FAA works to restore operations. Basis: the FAA's advisory and statements, reported by USA TODAY.