US flight disruptions: Nationwide ground stop ordered for only the second time since 9/11

An airplane is parked on the tarmac after the US Federal Aviation Administration issued a national ground stop.

NEW DELHI: The United States witnessed its second nationwide aviation disruption of this kind since the September 11, 2001, terror attacks after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) halted departures across the country for more than four hours on Friday due to communications failures affecting multiple air traffic control centres. Although the FAA lifted the ground stop at 8:15 p.m. ET, widespread travel disruption continued, with more than 10,000 flights delayed or cancelled and airlines warning that cancellations could stretch into the weekend. The disruption, triggered by a telecommunications outage affecting air traffic control facilities, forced airports to suspend departures and manage aircraft already on the ground. The FAA said it had ordered the halt as a precaution while technicians investigated the problem. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said there was no indication that the incident posed a threat to the United States. Addressing reporters at the White House, he also ruled out an apparent cyberattack, saying the disruption "appears this was mechanically driven." The FAA announced the lifting of the ground stop after air traffic control facilities began recovering. However, the resumption of departures did not immediately restore normal operations, as airlines and airports continued dealing with aircraft, crew and passenger disruptions.

Airlines prepare for further cancellations

Airlines began adjusting their schedules as the disruption continued, with carriers warning passengers of delays and cancellations. JetBlue Airways told staff it would cancel the remaining flights scheduled for Friday, except those operating on European routes, along with additional flights on Saturday. The move was aimed at ensuring aircraft and crew were positioned to resume normal operations, according to a memo seen by CNBC. A nationwide ground stop prevents aircraft from departing their airports of origin. Such disruptions can have a cascading impact on flight schedules, particularly when delays extend for several hours and flight crews approach their maximum permitted duty hours. According to aviation data firm Cirium, around 11,000 flights were scheduled to depart US airports after 4 p.m. ET on Friday. The disruption also resulted in approximately 600 diverted flights, including 104 that were redirected to other airports. International flights had begun departing from coastal hubs before 6 p.m. ET. The FAA said inbound international flights would be handled on a case-by-case basis. In an earlier statement on X, the FAA described the incident as a "temporary telecommunications outage" affecting multiple Air Route Traffic Control Centers. The agency said it had halted departures out of an "abundance of caution". These centres are responsible for guiding aircraft at high altitudes along their routes. FAA technicians were investigating the communications failure, while the agency said flights would resume as en route traffic facilities recovered through coordination with the air traffic control system.

Second nationwide disruption since 9/11

Nationwide flight stoppages are extremely rare in the United States. Before Friday's disruption, the last nationwide ground stop was imposed in January 2023 following a technical failure in the Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) system, which provides safety information to pilots. The only previous nationwide halt on a comparable scale came after the September 11, 2001, terror attacks, when authorities grounded aircraft across the country. Friday's incident comes amid repeated technical problems affecting US air traffic infrastructure in recent years.

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In September, hundreds of flights operating into Newark, New Jersey, and Philadelphia were cancelled, delayed or diverted after a Verizon fibre-optic cable was accidentally cut during construction work in New Jersey. The incident disrupted a backup data feed used by air traffic controllers. In 2025, air traffic controllers also lost contact with aircraft flying to and from Newark Liberty International Airport following an equipment failure. The incident triggered widespread flight delays and renewed concerns about ageing aviation infrastructure and staffing shortages. The precise cause of Friday's telecommunications outage was not immediately clear. Major US airlines issued statements saying they would assist passengers affected by the ground stop and urged travellers to check flight updates before heading to airports.

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