By — Amna Nawaz Amna Nawaz By — Miles O'Brien Miles O'Brien Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/faa-issues-rare-nationwide-ground-stop-due-to-extraordinary-circumstances Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Transcript Audio Air travel across the country came to a standstill on Friday after the Federal Aviation Administration issued a rare nationwide ground stop citing “extraordinary circumstances” and “reasons of safety.” Aviation correspondent Miles O’Brien reports. Read the Full Transcript Notice: Transcripts are machine and human generated and lightly edited for accuracy. They may contain errors. Amna Nawaz: Air travel across the country is at a standstill tonight after the Federal Aviation Administration issued a rare nationwide ground stop, citing extraordinary circumstances and reasons of safety. Runways across the country were emptied tonight, and hundreds of flights have been impacted so far.A short time ago, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin told reporters he did not believe this was tied to a specific attack. Markwayne Mullin: I want to make sure we say this again. There's no reason for the public to be afraid or scared for your loved ones.…
FAA issues rare nationwide ground stop due to 'extraordinary circumstances'
In short
The sweeping order stranded aircraft across the country, marking only the third nationwide grounding in recent decades alongside the Sept. 11 attacks and a January 2023 pilot communications failure. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin emphasized that officials do not believe the incident stems from an attack and asked the public not to draw comparisons to 9/11. Speculation points toward a breakdown in landline connections linking the 22 regional en route centers that manage high-altitude airspace. Despite the nationwide air traffic standstill, aviation officials confirmed that no mishaps occurred and all travelers remained safe.
Key points
- Homeland Security officials confirmed that the event was treated as a telecommunications…: Homeland Security officials confirmed that the event was treated as a telecommunications outage rather than a hostile attack.
- The massive halt left runways empty nationwide but concluded without any accidents or saf…: The massive halt left runways empty nationwide but concluded without any accidents or safety mishaps affecting travelers.
- The sudden standstill underscores ongoing concerns regarding fragile and outdated infrast…: The sudden standstill underscores ongoing concerns regarding fragile and outdated infrastructure supporting the nation's aviation network.