The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has ordered a nationwide ground stop across airports in the United States following a communications problem affecting air traffic control centres across the country.
The unexpected order was issued on Friday afternoon after the agency reported that a technical communications issue was impacting all Air Route Traffic Control Centers.
US Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy confirmed the situation, while the FAA said technicians were investigating the problem and working to determine its cause.
The disruption affected flight operations nationwide, with thousands of aircraft already in the air when the ground stop was announced. Flight-tracking information indicated that approximately 3,115 flights were still heading towards US airports at around 4:40 p.m. Eastern time.
Air traffic controllers informed pilots that the restriction applied across the United States, with no immediate indication of when normal operations would resume.
Airports, including Washington’s Reagan National Airport and Dulles International Airport, remained open, but passengers were warned to expect delays.
United Airlines confirmed that aircraft already airborne would continue to their destinations, while new domestic departures would be held until the issue was resolved.
The FAA said the information available was preliminary and that further updates would be provided as the investigation continued.
The incident represents a major disruption to US air travel and could affect thousands of passengers during Friday’s travel period.
