Millions of travelers in the U.S. experienced significant disruptions on Friday after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced a nationwide ground stop for all airports. The ground stop affects only planes on the ground; those already in the air are still allowed to land.
Transport Secretary Sean Duffy attributed the ground stop to a communication issue affecting all Air Route Traffic Control Centers. “FAA technicians are investigating the issue,” he stated in a post on X.
Despite some recent hacking incidents targeting European freezers and U.S. military installations, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin indicated that there is no evidence of foul play associated with this outage. “This isn’t another 9/11. This is a telecommunication outage,” he emphasized, noting that the problem will require time to resolve but poses no threat of a terrorist attack.
The disruption comes at a time when airlines in Europe have recently faced numerous false bomb threats, leading to at least one flight being diverted to a military base in France. Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares described the situation in Europe as potentially involving “hybrid aggression and a form of psychological warfare.”
In a separate incident impacting consumers, Microsoft reported a global outage affecting its email, collaboration, and AI functionalities, although the company stated it had no indication that the FAA ground stop was related to its issues.
Additionally, the National Weather Service confirmed that its radar systems have not experienced any disruptions that could have contributed to the FAA’s communication problems. However, speculation arose regarding the FAA’s recent announcement of an AI tool designed to assist air-traffic controllers, leaving some wondering if this new implementation played a role.
The last nationwide ground stop by the FAA occurred in 2023 due to the accidental deletion of vital files related to a pilot alert system, which caused delays for thousands of flights. Similarly, earlier this year, New York airports faced flight halts after a contractor mistakenly cut a fiber communications line in New Jersey.
As the FAA continues to assess and rectify the situation, travelers are advised to check with their airlines for updates on flight statuses and possible delays.
