FAA grounds all flights: Orders nationwide suspension due to 'extraordinary circumstances'
The agency stated that flights must remain on the ground while the situation is resolved and that international flights bound for the country will be handled on a case-by-case basis.
File photo of Terminal B at Boston Logan International Airport
No aircraft may take off in the country until further notice. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered a nationwide flight suspension on Friday, a measure that had only been taken on two previous occasions, and justified the decision on the grounds of "extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety."
The order was issued shortly before 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, according to CNN. The agency stated that traffic must remain on the ground while the situation is resolved and that international flights bound for the country will be handled on a case-by-case basis.
The source of the problem appears to be the en-route air traffic control centers—the facilities responsible for guiding aircraft crossing the country. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed on X that the suspension occurred "following a communication issue impacting all Air Route Traffic Control Centers," and assured that FAA technicians are already investigating what happened.
A source consulted by the New York Post suggested that the glitch could be linked to the rollout of new software. For now, however, authorities have not confirmed the cause. Preliminary reports also do not indicate that this was a cyberattack, according to two law enforcement officials cited by CNN, although the FBI is closely monitoring the situation.
The severity of the failure was evident in communications with pilots. Some areas of airspace were at "ATC Zero"—the term used when it is not possible to provide air traffic control services. "We lost all of the frequencies and all of the automation," a controller warned aircraft approaching Chicago in an audio recording posted by ATC.com.
Airlines began adjusting their operations. United Airlines confirmed that it will not operate any new domestic flights while the order remains in effect, and delays are already mounting at airports such as Chicago's O'Hare.
The most recent instance of a shutdown of this kind dates back to January 2023, when the pilot alert system failed. Before that, the only nationwide suspension had been ordered following the September 11, 2001 attacks.
The FAA did not say when flights will resume.
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