FAA grounds all flights across the US due to air traffic control communications problems

AP – The Federal Aviation Administration grounded all flights across the United States on Friday afternoon due to communications problems at regional air traffic control centers, an FAA notice said.

The ground stop was being imposed "due to extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety", according to the notice.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said a communications issue was affecting the regional air traffic control centers that direct planes between airports across the US. He said FAA technicians are investigating.

This is the first nationwide ground stop since January 2023 when a key FAA computer system malfunctioned. Before that the last time had been after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Former United Airlines pilot and aviation expert Steve Arroyo said the problem appeared similar to a regional air traffic control communication outage in September that snarled hundreds of flights across the Northeast, except this time on a nationwide scale.

Arroyo said it could be linked to the outdated technology used by air traffic controllers.

"If you don't have that ability, whether it's because the old wires that they have are just run down or for whatever reason, you've got to stop airplanes on the ground," said Arroyo. "And not put them in the air where you're going to risk not being able to communicate with them."

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