FAA grounds flights nationwide due to ‘extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety’

The Federal Aviation Administration grounded all flights nationwide Friday afternoon following a communication issue between air traffic control centers.

An FAA alert said the stoppage was “due to extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety.”

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said a communication issue affected all of the nation’s 22 air traffic control centers that route planes between airports.

“FAA technicians are investigating the issue. We will provide immediate updates as we have them,” Duffy said.

The FAA, in a separate statement, said the ground stop was issued “out of an abundance of caution” after a “temporary telecommunications outage.”

“Every flight has been accounted for and international flights will be handled on a case by case basis,” the FAA said.

The FAA listed an equipment outage issue at O’Hare Airport. The FAA’s first alert went out shortly before 3 p.m.

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

The Chicago Department of Aviation said it had no comment and directed questions to the FAA, which did not immediately provide further details.

The government has been working to overhaul the outdated technology that air traffic controllers rely on since Congress approved $12.5 billion for the project last year, according to the AP. Miles of old copper wires have been replaced with fiber optic lines and old radio systems are gradually being replaced at airports across the country.

But much work remains, the AP reported. Duffy has said that another $30 billion will be needed to complete the work, and the White House has begun lobbying Congress to approve it.

This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.