FAA issues nationwide ground stop

The Federal Aviation Administration issued a nationwide ground stop on Friday afternoon after communication problems affected multiple air traffic control centres. The measure halts flights at their departure points, disrupting travel across the United States while technicians investigate.

The FAA said inbound international flights would be handled case by case. Nationwide ground stops are extremely rare: the agency also halted flights in January 2023 after problems with a pilot alert system, and air traffic was stopped nationwide after the 11 September 2001 attacks. The article said the situation was developing.