Photo by Alexa M / Unsplash
Key Points
The Federal Aviation Administration kept a nationwide ground stop in effect Friday evening after a communications failure, while allowing some flights to depart as air traffic control facilities recovered.
Orlando International Airport said in a 4:48 p.m. post on X that the nationwide ground stop was affecting airline operations. The airport urged travelers to check directly with their airline for flight information before traveling and directed them to the FAA for airport status.
At Gainesville Regional Airport, flights waiting to depart were delayed by the ground stop, airport spokeswoman Erin Porter said. An arriving flight from Dallas was able to land, she said.
“We don’t have a time for it to end at this time,” Porter said. She did not have cancellation figures available.
Airport administrators bought pizzas for about 80 passengers in the secure area, Porter said. She urged travelers to monitor their airlines and the FAA website for updates.
In an advisory issued at 5:46 p.m. Eastern Time, the FAA said departures would be permitted as enroute facilities recovered, through coordination with its Air Traffic Control System Command Center. The agency’s national status page still listed the ground stop at 6:20 p.m.
The FAA listed 11 p.m. Eastern as the time of its next expected update. That is not a confirmed time for normal flight operations to resume.
The initial order took effect at 3:53 p.m., directing departing aircraft to remain on the ground until further notice. The FAA cited safety concerns and said inbound international flights would be handled on a case-by-case basis.
The restriction halted takeoffs rather than requiring every aircraft already flying to land immediately. Friday’s later advisory provided a way for departures to resume without announcing that the nationwide restriction had been lifted.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said communications problems affected the country’s 22 regional air traffic control centers, which guide aircraft between airports, according to The Associated Press. He said FAA technicians were investigating.
At a White House press conference just after 5 p.m., Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said investigators did not yet know if a cyberattack caused the communication issue.
“We’re going to continue to work to find out what the root of the cause is,” Mullin said.
The disruption was the first nationwide ground stop since January 2023, when an FAA computer system failed, AP reported.
Passengers should check their individual flight’s status directly with their airline before leaving for the airport. The nationwide advisory does not identify which local flights have been cleared to depart or provide a timetable for each airport’s recovery.
