Flights were grounded across the United States on Friday due to a major air traffic control communications issue, prompting the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to halt departures out of an abundance of caution.
US Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin reassured the public that there is no indication the nationwide outage was caused by an attack. Speaking to reporters at the White House, Mullin stated that all flights are accounted for and that "everybody's safe," repeatedly emphasizing that the incident is not "another 9/11." Aviation experts noted that a ground stop of this magnitude has not occurred in the US since the September 11 attacks in 2001.
The FAA confirmed that a temporary telecommunications outage triggered the rare nationwide halt. While some international flights are being managed on a case-by-case basis and limited departures have slowly resumed at select locations like San Francisco International Airport, the exact cause of the outage remains under investigation. Officials have advised passengers nationwide to check their flight statuses and anticipate significant travel delays as systems are restored.
