How Trump administration responded to FAA ground stop

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) imposed a nationwide ground stop on Friday afternoon due to routine maintenance issues, according to Live Mint. The shutdown halted nearly all departing flights from the continental United States for approximately five hours, marking the longest nationwide air travel halt since September 11, 2001.

While domestic departures were restricted, some international flights were permitted to depart in an effort to clear space, Live Mint reported. President Trump was informed of the ground stop within 30 minutes of its imposition, according to U.S. officials cited by CBS News.

The disruption caused significant travel chaos, leaving tens of thousands of passengers stranded in airports or stuck on tarmacs. FlightAware data indicated that by Saturday evening, airlines had cancelled more than 6,150 US flights and delayed over 7,300, following approximately 9,200 cancellations and 7,500 delays on Friday. The shutdown also impacted major sporting events; The Mainichi reported that several college football games were delayed or postponed, and some teams utilized charter buses to manage travel.

Additionally, the ground stop affected collegiate athletic travel, such as the Southern California women’s basketball team, who were deplaned and delayed in Los Angeles.

Brief written by urgent.news from CBS News, Live Mint, The Hill, NPR, The Mainichi — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.