FOX Business correspondent Grady Trimble reports on the Federal Aviation Administration’s decision to ground all domestic flights following what officials described as “extraordinary circumstances.” The report aired on “Kudlow.”
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered a nationwide ground stop on Friday, citing “extraordinary circumstances” that temporarily halted departures at airports across the country.
“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 official alert, the FAA stated that all airports were being held “due to extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety.”
“All departing traffic should remain ground stopped until further notice,” the agency continued. “Inbound international flights will be managed on a case by case basis.”
The Federal Aviation Administration issued a nationwide ground stop due to “extraordinary circumstances.” (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images / Getty Images)
The FAA attributed the halt to a communications failure but has not ruled out the possibility of a cyberattack.
“The current ground stop is not based on or a result of the SMART system, any product of ASI or our integration with FAA and ATC,” Air Space Intelligence (ASI) said in a statement addressing online speculation linking its software to the outage.
ASI is the contractor engaged by the FAA and Department of Transportation to oversee the rollout of new AI-driven air traffic control software.
Although uncommon, a nationwide ground stop is not without precedent.
Friday’s order marked only the second time such a sweeping measure had been issued since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, when U.S. airspace was closed entirely.
Richard Schroeder, a passenger traveling from Denver to Los Angeles, described his experience being stranded aboard a grounded aircraft during the halt.
The most recent nationwide ground stop took place on Jan. 11, 2023, after a catastrophic failure of the FAA’s Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) safety system, which led to thousands of flight delays and hundreds of cancellations.
Air Traffic Control issued a ground stop notice on Friday. (FAA Air Traffic Control System Command Center / Unknown)
At the time of the alert, roughly 3,100 flights were inbound to U.S. airports, according to flight tracking platform FlightRadar24. Aircraft already in the air are typically permitted to land during a ground stop.
Audio from air traffic control captured the announcement ordering all airports to halt departures and alerting aircraft operators to the nationwide stoppage (Credit: ATC.com).
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy addressed the situation 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.”
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, speaking at the White House, sought to reassure the public: “This is not 9/11,” adding that the incident was being investigated as a telecommunications outage.
“It’s a telecommunication outage. I’m not going to get ahead of FAA. That’s their lane to talk about,” Mullin said. “We wanted to assure all the American people this isn’t a safety risk to the American people or another 9/11. I think that’s what a lot of people are trying to make the comparison to, and that’s not the case.”
Video from inside Denver International Airport showed passengers waiting after deplaning on Friday during the ground stop.
Mullin confirmed that all flights were accounted for and that there was no threat to the public.
“We are able to communicate at certain levels, but it’s overwhelmed some of the systems we have,” he explained. “Once again, Secretary Duffy is on this. He was on the phone earlier with the president and several of us. And they’re doing a phenomenal job in crisis mode.”
Mullin also reiterated that President Donald Trump had been briefed on the situation.
The FAA told Fox News that any claims of a software outage were false.
Senior officials who spoke with Fox News Digital said the issue was not expected to stem from “anything nefarious at this time” and that they “don’t believe this is a cyberattack issue.”
As of 6 p.m. ET, the FAA said the ground stop remained in effect. “As enroute facilities recover, flights will be allowed to depart through coordination with the Air Traffic Control System Command Center,” the agency stated.
Several major airports issued their own advisories to travelers.
Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport wrote on X: “The FAA has issued a ground stop affecting departures at ATL and other major airports. Departures are temporarily suspended. Travelers should check with their airlines for flight updates. We will provide an update as more information becomes available.”
Boston’s Logan International Airport released a statement reading: “The FAA has issued a nationwide ground stop impacting flights at Boston Logan and airports across the country. We are monitoring the situation and working with the FAA and our airline partners. Passengers should check with their airlines for the latest flight updates.”
“A nationwide @FAAnews ground stop is currently in effect,” Miami International Airport said. “If you’re flying today, please check with your airline for your flight status before leaving for the airport. Thank you for your patience and understanding.”
Orlando International Airport added: “The FAA has issued a nationwide ground stop. MCO is receiving enroute arrivals, but there are no departures. All flights are on a delay. From 3:30 p.m. to midnight, there are approximately 220 scheduled departures.” The airport urged passengers to check with their airlines to confirm future departure times.
Nashville International Airport advised passengers to secure hotel accommodations, as there was no immediate word on when the ground stop would be lifted.
American Airlines said in a statement: “The FAA has temporarily paused departures nationwide. Flights already in the air can continue to their destinations. We expect disruption to our schedule for the rest of the day, depending on the length of the FAA’s nationwide ground stop. It will be all hands on deck across American to get customers on their way as soon as possible when the FAA lifts this nationwide ground stop.”
The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, chaired by Ted Cruz, said in a statement posted to X: “A nationwide ground stop is a rare but major disruption. It appears to be related to FAA’s ARTCCs. @FAAnews will be updating Congress and the flying public about the problem, but the incident highlights the need to prioritize modernizing ARTCCs over other projects. No new ARTCC has been built since LBJ was in office. It’s why Chairman @SenTedCruz successfully got $1.9 billion in the Working Families Tax Cut Act to replace and consolidate outdated ARTCCs. We are in touch with @FAAnews and @SecDuffy, who are working to resolve this issue quickly and safely.”
Some international departures had begun resuming from airports including Logan and LAX, with flights bound for Rome, Frankfurt, and Shanghai, according to FlightRadar24, though all domestic flights remained grounded.
