US flights halted nationwide after FAA communications outage

Nationwide halts in US flights were imposed after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) experienced a telecommunications outage, disrupting air traffic control operations. Departures across the country were suspended as flights already in the air were permitted to reach their destinations while officials worked to resolve the issue.

Over 10,000 flights were delayed, and more than 2,000 were cancelled, according to FlightAware, a flight-tracking website. The outage was traced back to a software update on a private communications network that connected air traffic control facilities throughout the United States, causing the system to reboot and crash. This marks the first nationwide ground stop since January 2023, following an FAA computer system malfunction that disrupted operations.

The previous major halt had occurred in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks. Flight-tracking service Flightradar24 reported that only 1,000 flights were headed to US airports, a significant decrease from over 4,500 a week prior. JetBlue Airways reported departure delays, stating it was monitoring the situation and would resume operations once authorities approved flights to take off.

Air Canada warned of potential disruptions to flights to and from the Caribbean and South America, urging passengers to check the airline's app for updates. The British Civil Aviation Authority also cautioned travelers about potential disruptions to flights within, to, and from the United States, recommending they verify with their airlines.