The sweeping action represents only the second nationwide ground stop of all U.S. departures since the September 11 attacks, following an earlier brief disruption in January 2023. Over 10,540 domestic and international flights were delayed alongside 3,580 cancellations as of Friday. Department of Homeland Security head Markwayne Mullin emphasized that there is currently no evidence of a nefarious attack behind the failure. Regulators confirmed that all airborne planes are fully accounted for, though officials have not determined when standard operations will resume.
Key points
Federal authorities have accounted for every airborne aircraft and are prioritizing safe…: Federal authorities have accounted for every airborne aircraft and are prioritizing safe landings while communications systems are restored.
Department of Homeland Security officials confirmed there is currently no evidence indica…: Department of Homeland Security officials confirmed there is currently no evidence indicating the outage was caused by a hostile attack.
Operations for international flights approaching the United States are being coordinated…: Operations for international flights approaching the United States are being coordinated on an individual, case-by-case basis.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
The US Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement that the nationwide halt to departures and delays to landings at all US airports that began at about 4pm ET on Friday was caused by “a temporary telecommunications outage”.
“Every flight has been accounted for and international flights will be handled on a case by case basis,” the FAA added.
Here is what we know about the rare nationwide ground stop issued by the FAA.
1. What caused this and how long will it last?It remains unclear what caused the outage, but according to Markwayne Mullin, the former Oklahoma senator now leading the Department of Homeland Security, “there is no indication … that this was a nefarious attack.” There is, as of now, no sign that the “telecommunications outage” that led to the sudden halt to all departures at US airports has been fixed and there is no clear indication of how long the stoppage will last.
2. Will flights already in the air be allowed to land?Mullin said in a news conference outside the White House that the immediate priority…
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