The Federal Aviation Administration announced at 8:15 p.m. Eastern time on Friday that it had lifted the nationwide ground stop that had grounded more than 10,000 flights across the United States for over four hours. The order, issued at 3:54 p.m., was prompted by a temporary telecommunications outage that affected all 22 air‑route traffic control centres.
Airlines are now working to reposition aircraft and crews, but delays and cancellations continue as the system recovers. FlightAware reports that over 4,000 flights were cancelled and more than 10,000 were delayed during the halt, while Flightradar24 noted that 4,042 aircraft were in the air at the time the stop was ordered.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin told reporters that the outage was not caused by a threat to the United States. “Everybody’s safe. The flights are accounted for. This is not another 9/11,” he said. Mullin added that President Donald Trump has been “fully engaged” in the response, having been in regular contact with senior officials throughout the crisis, although the president has not spoken publicly about the disruption.
The FAA said the communication issue was a “temporary telecommunications outage” and that the ground stop was a precautionary measure. It also noted that international flights would be handled on a case‑by‑case basis. While the FBI has ruled out a cyberattack or criminal activity, investigators are examining whether a software update could have triggered the outage.
Senator Tammy Duckworth has called for a thorough investigation, emphasizing the importance of safety redundancies in the air traffic system. “The safety of our skies is built on redundancies. Whatever led to the nationwide ground stop will warrant a thorough and complete investigation,” she wrote on X.
The incident highlights ongoing strain on the U.S. air traffic control system, which has faced equipment failures, communication problems and controller shortages. The FAA recently awarded Air Space Intelligence an $875 million contract to deploy an AI‑powered SMART system across its control centres, but the company said its technology was not responsible for the stop.
Amtrak, the national rail operator, reported website and app errors and higher‑than‑normal call volumes as passengers struggled to rebook flights. The company apologized for the inconvenience and urged customers to try again later.
Pilot and former FAA safety team representative Kyle Bailey said that halting flights on the ground was the safest course of action until the cause could be determined. He added that the FAA’s priority remains the safety of all passengers in the U.S. flight system.
Congress approved $12.5 billion for an overhaul of the air traffic system last year, and the Department of Transportation and the White House have requested an additional $30.1 billion. This is the first nationwide ground stop since January 2023, when a key FAA computer system malfunctioned, and the last since the September 11 attacks.
Authorities have yet to determine the exact cause of the telecommunications outage that prompted the stop, but the FAA has resumed operations and is working to restore full service as quickly as possible.
