US-bound flights out of Australia grounded as telecommunications outage affects American travel

US-bound flights from Sydney and Melbourne were delayed or temporarily grounded after American authorities paused departures and landings across the country. The disruption affected travellers departing Australia, although the US Federal Aviation Administration later lifted its ground stop while investigating the cause.

The FAA said the nationwide pause was prompted by a temporary telecommunications outage. Melbourne passengers on flights to Dallas and San Francisco were told to expect delays; a Los Angeles-bound flight was more than two hours late. Sydney Airport advised passengers travelling to or through the US to check with their airline.