FAA issues nationwide ground stop, cites communications issue
(FoxNews) – The Federal Aviation Administration has issued a nationwide ground stop due to “extraordinary circumstances.” Friday afternoon. Go to FoxNews.com for updates.
“The FAA issued a nationwide ground stop for all U.S. airports following communication issues impacting multiple Air Route Traffic Control Centers,” the agency told Fox News Digital. “FAA technicians are investigating the issue. We will provide updates.”
In an alert, the FAA said all airports are ground stopped “due to extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety.”
“All departing traffic should remain ground stopped until further notice,” the FAA continued. “Inbound international flights will be managed on a case by case basis.
Immediately following the alert, 3,100 flights were inbound for U.S. airports, according to flight tracking platform FlightRadar24.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy wrote on X: “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.”
This is post an excerpt from an article by Fox News Digital’s Brie Stimson.
Friday’s ground stop isn’t a safety threat and not like the one that was issue after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, said Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin.
“It’s a telecommunication outage,” he said. “I’m not going to get ahead of FAA. That’s their lane to talk about.”
“We were wanting to assure all the American people this isn’t a safety (threat) to the American people or or another 9/11,” he added. “I think that’s what a lot of people are trying to make the comparison to, and that’s not the case.”
