FAA Orders Nationwide Ground Stop After Communications Failure at Air Traffic Control Centers

The Federal Aviation Administration ordered a nationwide ground stop on all departing flights Friday afternoon after a communications failure affected Air Route Traffic Control Centers, the facilities that guide aircraft between airports. The order, issued for “extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety,” instructed all departing traffic to remain on the ground until further notice. Inbound international flights were to be managed on a case-by-case basis. Flights already airborne were allowed to continue to their destinations.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the ground stop followed a communication issue impacting all Air Route Traffic Control Centers. The FAA described the problem as a temporary telecommunications outage and said technicians were investigating. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin stated there was no indication that the outage resulted from a nefarious act or attack. He characterized it as a telecommunications failure and said the measure was taken out of an abundance of caution. President Trump was briefed on the situation.

Flight tracking services reported thousands of delays and more than a thousand cancellations within hours of the order. Major hubs including Atlanta, Dallas, Chicago, New York, and others experienced significant operational disruptions. Some international carriers were later permitted limited departures as facilities began to recover. As of late Friday, the ground stop remained in effect while the FAA worked to restore full communications capability, with updates indicating that flights would resume in coordination with the Command Center as en-route facilities recovered.

Nationwide ground stops are rare. The last one occurred in January 2023 after a failure of the FAA’s Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) system, which provides pilots with critical safety information. That incident also produced widespread delays and cancellations. Before 2023, the most recent nationwide ground stop had been ordered after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Air Route Traffic Control Centers handle high-altitude en-route traffic and rely on continuous communications and radar feeds. A disruption at those facilities can force controllers to limit or halt departures to maintain separation and safety.

Airlines advised passengers to check flight status before traveling to airports. The FAA said it would provide updates as technicians restored service. No firm timeline for a full return to normal operations was given as of Friday evening. The situation remained fluid, with the potential for cascading delays into the weekend as the system recovered.