FAA grounds all U.S. departures over a communications failure
A communications failure at its control centers has stranded thousands of flights. The Homeland Security secretary says nothing points to an attack.
No plane can take off from a U.S. airport until further notice, the Federal Aviation Administration ordered Friday. Aircraft already in the air may land.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the cause is a communications problem across the network of centers that monitor en route air traffic. FAA technicians are investigating. The agency's notice cites "extraordinary circumstances" and safety.
It is a telecommunications failure at the FAA, and there is no sign so far of a malicious act, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin told reporters. International flights arriving in the country are being handled case by case.
The FAA has not said when departures will resume or given a detailed technical cause. The national airspace status page carries its updates.
Flight trackers, whose numbers are not official, count more than 10,000 delays and more than 2,000 cancellations. About 3,100 aircraft were still airborne toward U.S. destinations when the order took effect.
A nationwide ground stop is rare. The FAA imposed one after Sept. 11, 2001, and again in January 2023, when the system that warns pilots of hazards on their routes went down. With departures frozen and landings still open, airlines and destination airports bear the brunt.
Passengers leaving from the United States, including on connections to Mexico, should expect delays and cancellations for as long as the order stands. The airline is the one that can say whether a flight will go, so ask before heading to the airport.
