All US flights grounded by FAA

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) declared a nationwide ground stop on Friday, preventing all flights from taking off from US airspace. This decision was made due to a communication issue affecting all Air Route Traffic Control Centers (ARTCCs), according to US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. The FAA is currently investigating the cause of the problem and will provide updates as more information becomes available.

The issue is impacting all airports in the country, with inbound international flights being managed on a case-by-case basis. Doug Yakel, a public information officer for San Francisco International Airport, confirmed the nationwide ground stop but noted that aircraft already en route to SFO would continue to land there, while departing flights are currently grounded.

The FAA Telecommunications Infrastructure, managed by L3Harris, provides secure communication between over 4,400 facilities. A spokesperson for the FAA press office was unable to provide further information, while the agency responded with Duffy's initial statement. L3Harris, the company responsible for the network, has not commented on the matter.

This ground stop follows a major Microsoft outage that has affected many Microsoft-hosted services, particularly email, for over 24 hours. There is currently no indication that the two incidents are related.