By SDCN Staff
Washington, DC–The Federal Aviation Administration Friday afternoon ordered a nationwide ground stop for all departing flights due to intermittent telecommunications outages impacting the stability of communications and radar systems utilized by Air Traffic Control.
All airlines were ordered to keep departing aircrafts on the ground until further notice, citing safety concerns as officials worked to address the disruption.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy posted the alert on X citing “communication issues.” He did not release additional information on the exact cause of the ground stoppage.
“The @FAAnews issued a nationwide ground stop for all U.S. airports following a communication issue impacting all Air Route Traffic Control Centers. FAA technicians are investigating the issue. We will provide immediate updates as we have them,” Secretary Duffy posted on Friday.
International flights arriving in the United States were being handled on a case-by-case basis, according to federal authorities.
The ground stop was a rare measure, reportedly only the second time the FAA has issued such a sweeping nationwide order since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
The FAA has not publicly disclosed what caused the communications problem or how long the ground stop would remain in effect.
