The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a rare nationwide ground stop halting all departing domestic flights across the United States. The emergency order, put into effect Friday afternoon, was implemented due to a temporary telecommunications outage and safety precautions.
Federal officials, including Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, stated that the sudden ground stop did not stem from a known security threat or cyberattack. Air traffic already airborne was allowed to continue to its scheduled destinations, while international flights were handled on an individual, case-by-case basis. Major hubs—including Chicago O'Hare International Airport, New York’s JFK, and Reagan Washington National Airport—saw departures paused for hours, creating widespread tarmac delays and cascading cancellations for carriers like United Airlines, American Airlines, and JetBlue.
As aviation facilities gradually began recovery efforts, the FAA announced that departing flights would only be permitted to resume after coordinating directly with the agency's command center in Virginia. Government officials have not yet established a definitive timeline for fully resolving the telecommunications issue, warning travelers that returning operations to normal will take time.
