The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has lifted a nationwide ground stop that temporarily halted air traffic across the United States on Friday afternoon. The sudden order, which grounded departing flights and restricted international arrivals, caused widespread travel chaos and thousands of flight disruptions before operations began to resume.
The disruption began late Friday afternoon when the FAA issued the nationwide ground stop, citing extraordinary circumstances and safety reasons following a communications failure that affected air traffic control centers across the country. The sweeping halt impacted airports nationwide, leaving major hubs near capacity and forcing airlines in Canada and other international locations to cancel or suspend flights destined for the U.S.
The rare directive marked only the second nationwide ground stop of all departures since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, following a previous brief domestic pause in January 2023. Although the FAA lifted the ground stop, aviation officials noted that it would take time to unwind the disruption and clear backlogs.
