WASHINGTON — The Federal Aviation Administration ordered a nationwide ground stop Friday afternoon, halting departing flights across the United States after a supposed telecommunications outage disrupted air traffic control communications. Potentially a cyber attack.
The emergency restriction, issued Nov. 13, remains in effect until further notice. Aircraft already airborne can continue to their destinations and land, while incoming international flights are being handled individually.
The disruption affects communications at air traffic control centers that guide aircraft between airports. Technicians are investigating the failure, and no official timetable for restoring departures has been announced.
A preliminary estimate relayed by Southwest Airlines passengers suggests restoring the system could take up to 18 hours. The FAA has not confirmed that estimate. It remains unclear whether it refers to restoring communications or resuming normal flight operations.
The cause remains under investigation. There is no indication so far of malicious activity behind the outage, and President Donald Trump has been briefed on the situation.
The shutdown began disrupting airport operations as the Friday travel period intensified. Ground stops at Chicago’s O’Hare and Midway airports initially identified an equipment outage before the nationwide restriction followed.
Passengers aboard some departing aircraft were returned to terminals. At Newark Liberty International Airport, congestion and limited gate space complicated efforts to accommodate planes unable to take off.
United Airlines suspended new domestic departures while allowing flights already in the air to continue.
The restriction applies to takeoffs; it does not mean every aircraft in U.S. airspace has been ordered to land immediately.
Nationwide ground stops are exceptionally rare. A January 2023 failure of the system used to provide pilots with critical flight notices prompted a similar suspension of departures.
The length of Friday’s disruption remained uncertain as technicians worked to identify the communications failure and restore operations.
