Hawaii DOT: All West Coast flights halted by SpaceX debris after FAA ground stop

All West Coast flights have been halted by debris from a SpaceX launch, according to the Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation (HawaiiNewsNow). The halt came after a nationwide Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ground stop due to a communications issue affecting air traffic control centers. The department announced the halt at 1:55 p.m., following a resumption of flights between Hawaiʻi and the West Coast after the earlier FAA ground stop.

The Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation urged travelers to continue checking with their carriers for updates. Meanwhile, the FAA is investigating the SpaceX launch's first-stage booster malfunction, which resulted in the booster ending up in the Gulf after an automatic abort. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stated that technicians are working to address the issue, but there is no timeline for normal service restoration.

The Honolulu-based department received the ground stop notification around 10:50 a.m., adjusting operations for both international and domestic flights. At one point, international flights were restricted, but some flights had cleared for departure to the West Coast before the latest halt. Officials were repositioning aircraft and using taxiways and some runways for parking to accommodate arriving planes.

The public was advised to check with their carriers due to the rapidly changing situation. Hawaiian and Alaska airlines have a flexible travel policy for travelers needing to change their plans. Even after the ground stop is lifted, the airlines noted that it will take time to return operations to their scheduled times. Nationwide ground stops are uncommon, with the last one occurring in January 2023 due to a pilot notification system outage. The previous nationwide stop took place following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.