FAA grounds all US flights over air traffic control outage
The FAA ordered a nationwide ground stop of all departures on Friday afternoon after a radio frequency outage hit air traffic control centers. The cause and end time are unclear.
Confirmed
- The FAA ordered a nationwide ground stop of all departures on Friday afternoon
- The stop followed a radio frequency outage that hit air traffic control centers
- Transportation Secretary Duffy said a communication issue affected all Air Route Traffic Control Centers
- The FAA has given no indication of when the ground stop will be lifted
Not yet known
- The cause of the radio frequency outage; technicians are investigating
- When the ground stop will end; the end time circulating online is unconfirmed
- Unconfirmed: whether the outage was an attack, as some posts speculate
- Unconfirmed: whether officials were moved to military bases
What we know
A nationwide ground stop until 22Z (5PM ET) was reported, caused by an ATC frequency outage possibly isolated to in-air centers. Transportation Secretary Duffy said it followed a communication issue affecting all Air Route Traffic Control Centers, and technicians are investigating. Fox News described it as the second such order since 9/11, and the FT reported all departing flights grounded until further notice. Reuters reported the FAA has given no indication of when it will lift. A flight-tracking service said 3,100 aircraft were airborne toward US airports with no new takeoffs, and FlightAware counted nearly 7,000 delayed or cancelled flights. A pilot-radio explanation points to unreliable VHF voice frequencies. Speculation about an attack is circulating, and one unverified claim says officials were moved to military bases. Neither has been confirmed by any official source.
Photos and descriptions: Wikipedia
What people are posting
Posts on X this story draws on. They are individual users' views and have not been verified by Global Eye 24.
“Nationwide Ground Stop until 22 Z [5PM ET] Due to ATC frequency outage”
View post →“FAA source ... says "absolutely unheard of."”
View post →“3,100 airborne aircraft bound for US airports amid nationwide ground stop”
View post →By the Global Eye 24 desk, with AI assistance. Updated as the story develops. Spot an error? Write to corrections@globaleye24.com.