First nationwide ground stop since January 2023 computer failure
The Federal Aviation Administration grounded all flights at U.S. airports on Friday afternoon because of communications problems at regional air traffic control centers, the Associated Press reported.
The FAA notice said the ground stop was being imposed “due to extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety.”
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said there is a communications issue affecting the regional air traffic control centers that direct planes between airports nationwide. He said FAA technicians are investigating.
Regional air traffic control centers are the facilities that guide aircraft between airports across the country, so a communications failure affecting them has consequences well beyond any single airport.
Friday’s action is the first nationwide ground stop since January 2023, when a key FAA computer system malfunctioned. Before that, the last nationwide ground stop came after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
The nationwide halt that ended before January 2023 followed the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, while the January 2023 stop traced to a malfunction of a key FAA computer system. Friday’s ground stop stems from communications problems at regional air traffic control centers — the issue Duffy said is affecting the centers that direct planes between airports nationwide.
Duffy’s statement described an ongoing investigation rather than a resolved problem. He said FAA technicians are investigating the communications issue affecting the regional air traffic control centers.