More than 4,000 flights airborne as FAA halts departures, leaving travelers facing uncertainty amid nationwide ground stop

FAA orders nationwide halt

The FAA issued a nationwide ground stop Friday afternoon, citing safety concerns and communication problems. The alert went out just before 4 p.m. ET and directed planes not to depart until further notice.

International flights entering the United States were to be managed case by case. The agency did not say how long the halt would last. FAA technicians were investigating communication problems affecting multiple Air Route Traffic Control Centers.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy shared the FAA’s statement on X. At the time the order was issued, more than 4,000 flights were airborne and headed to U.S. airports, Flightradar24 reported.

Officials address safety concerns

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin called the situation “unprecedented,” but said there was no safety threat to Americans. He said it was too early to know how long the ground stop would continue.

Mullin said President Donald Trump had been briefed. Trump had not publicly commented on the halt by shortly before 6 p.m. ET, when he posted on Truth Social about legislation supporting tax credits for film and television production. A Justice Department source told MS NOW officials were not tracking a possible terrorism connection and described the issue as a “frequency issue.” The FBI did not believe the communications problem stemmed from a cyberattack or criminality, Bloomberg reported, citing a person familiar with the matter.

Investigators examine possible causes

Bloomberg reported that investigators were considering whether a software update could have caused the outage. Rep. Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said he had not been told what caused the ground stop.

Sen. Maria Cantwell said her committee planned to review technology issues involving primary and backup frequencies used for aircraft communications. As a member of the Gang of Eight, Himes would typically be briefed if an incident involved a national security threat.

At Denver International Airport, Gov. Abigail Spanberger and Rep. Jason Crow said they were still learning details. Sen. Cory Booker described the situation to MS NOW as a “significant breach or breakdown.”

Second halt since September 11

Two FAA officials said this was only the second nationwide ground stop since the September 11, 2001, attacks. The earlier nationwide halt occurred in 2023. Mullin said the incident was not another September 11 and urged the public not to fear for loved ones. The article also reports that Sen. Maria Cantwell’s committee plans to review the technology issues, while the cause remained under investigation.