FAA Ground Stop Marks Longest U.S. Flight Halt Since 9/11 Attacks

This marked only the second nationwide ground stop since the immediate aftermath of the al-Qaeda hijackings on September 11, 2001.

“This looks like the worst since 9/11, but clearly not on that scale,” Dr. Guy Gratton, an associate professor of aviation at Cranfield University, told BBC Verify.

Dr. Gratton referenced the 2023 U.S. grounding caused by a failure in the Notice to Air Missions (Notam) system. “That lasted 1 hour and 52 minutes, delayed about 9,500 flights, and cancelled about 1,300,” he noted.

The 2023 outage prevented the publication of air traffic safety notices, halting flights until the system was restored. However, Friday’s incident exceeded the duration of that 2023 event.

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