The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered a nationwide ground stop Friday, halting flight departures across the United States due to communications problems affecting the nation’s air traffic control system.
The FAA cited “extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety” as officials investigated the outage affecting 22 regional air traffic control centers.
Aircraft already in the air were allowed to continue flying, while departing flights remained grounded.
When Was the Last Nationwide Ground Stop?
Nationwide flight groundings are extremely rare. Two major previous incidents include:
- September 11, 2001: The FAA grounded civilian air traffic following the terrorist attacks. Thousands of aircraft were ordered to land, and commercial flights began resuming September 13.
- January 11, 2023: A failure of the FAA’s NOTAM safety notification system temporarily halted departures nationwide for nearly two hours.
- November 13, 2026: A nationwide communications disruption prompted the latest ground stop.
What Travelers Should Know
The shutdown caused widespread delays and cancellations at airports across the country, including Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
Officials have not confirmed the precise cause of the communications failure, and there is no confirmed evidence of terrorism.
Passengers should check directly with their airlines for updated flight information.
