Ground stop ordered for all airports nationwide for ‘reasons of safety’

The Federal Aviation Administration on Friday ordered a nationwide ground stop on all departing flights “due to extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety.”

The unusual alert contained no other information beyond stating that “all departing traffic should remain ground stopped until further notice.”

“Inbound international flights will be managed on a case by case basis,” the FAA said.

Nationwide ground stops are extremely rare.

“FAA technicians are investigating the issue,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in an online post. “We will provide immediate updates as we have them.”

After the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the FAA ordered an unprecedented nationwide ground stop. All civilian air traffic across U.S. airspace was halted and airborne planes were ordered to land at the nearest available airports.

In January 2023, the FAA grounded all flights blaming a failure in the Notice to Air Missions system, which alert pilots to a host of potential dangers.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.