Every flight halted nationwide as photos show trouble at airports after FAA grounds flights over communications issue
Communications issue prompts halt
Duffy said the ground stop followed a communication issue affecting all Air Route Traffic Control Centers. He wrote on X that FAA technicians were investigating. The FAA said it halted all flights as a precaution and had accounted for every flight. It added that international flights would be handled individually.
Passengers wait at airports
Flight boards at major airports flashed red and orange, while security lines grew longer and stranded passengers gathered in terminals. Traffic outside airports also began to build as the nationwide stop continued for several hours.
Jon Lett, traveling from Salt Lake City Airport to Chicago, told Business Insider that passengers on his flight were instructed to disembark and wait. Photos showed planes parked back-to-back at Chicago O’Hare International Airport.
System details and past disruptions
The article described a new system named SMART, which runs on Air Space Intelligence’s National Airspace System. The system uses AI to model airline operations and air traffic control and identify bottlenecks before delays spread.
The FAA halted flights in January 2023 because of an outage involving its pilot alert system. Nationwide air traffic was also halted after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Key points
- The FAA grounded flights nationwide after a communication issue affected all Air Route Traffic Control Centers.
- The agency said all flights had been accounted for and international flights would be handled case by case.
- Passengers at some airports were told to leave planes and wait as terminal lines and outside traffic grew.
- The FAA also halted flights after a pilot alert system outage in January 2023.