FAA orders nationwide ground stop for all US flight departures
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The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered a nationwide ground stop for all departing flights on Nov. 13, citing safety concerns amid widespread air traffic control communications problems.
"All departing traffic should remain groundstopped until further notice," the FAA said in its advisory, adding that inbound international flights would be handled on a case-by-case basis, according to Reuters.
The agency described the move as necessary "due to extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety."
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the communications problems affected 22 regional air traffic control centers responsible for directing aircraft between airports across the country, according to the Associated Press. FAA technicians were investigating the cause.
The order halted departing flights across the country, while international flights arriving in the United States were to be handled individually. Aircraft already in the air were not ordered to land immediately.
It marks the first nationwide ground stop since January 2023, following an FAA computer system outage.
The National Weather Service also reported nationwide internet and communications issues, warning that some weather information on its websites may be unavailable or outdated. It was not immediately clear whether the disruption was related to the FAA's communications issues.
