US flights grounded nationwide over FAA telecom outage

US flights were grounded nationwide on Friday after the Federal Aviation Administration said a communications problem affected air traffic control centers, causing delays and confusion for travelers across the country.

The FAA said it issued a nationwide ground stop for all US airports after a communication issue affected all Air Route Traffic Control Centers. It later described the problem as a temporary telecommunications outage and said technicians were investigating.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said there was no indication so far that the outage was a hostile attack. “This isn't another 9/11,” he said, adding that officials were “not ruling out anything at this point.”

Passengers reported being delayed or removed from aircraft shortly before departure. At New York's LaGuardia Airport, traveler Tiara Johnson said her flight to Orlando had been pushed back several times. At Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, passengers said airline staff gave conflicting information, while long lines formed at rental car counters.

A Southwest Airlines check-in desk at Las Vegas airport earlier told passengers there would be no flights taking off for 24 hours.

Nationwide ground stops are rare. In January 2023, the FAA ordered a nationwide stop because of problems with the Notice to Air Missions system, which gives pilots information about hazards, airport facility changes and other matters that can affect flights. That outage lasted just under two hours.

The order came a day after US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy formally asked Congress for about $30 billion to upgrade and modernize the US Air Traffic Control System.