US Airports Reopen After Nationwide Flight Ground Stop, But Delays Continue

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has lifted a nationwide ground stop that brought departing flights across the United States to a halt following communications problems at multiple air traffic control centres.

The restriction was imposed on Friday after the agency reported technical difficulties affecting its air traffic control communications network, forcing thousands of flights to be delayed or cancelled.

The FAA said the decision was taken due to “extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety” while technicians investigated the problem.

US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy later announced that American airspace had reopened at 8:15pm Eastern Time on Friday.

However, he warned that flights would resume gradually and that passengers should expect continued disruption as airlines worked to restore their schedules.

“It’s going to be slow,” Duffy told reporters at the White House, advising travellers to check directly with their airlines for updates.

The communications problems began at approximately 3:36pm, when air traffic control centres experienced instability involving radar and communication systems.

Duffy explained that switches and routers became overloaded with data, producing inconsistent information and forcing officials to shut down the system as a safety precaution.

He said radar and communications were never completely lost, allowing thousands of aircraft already in the air to land safely.

According to flight-tracking data reported by Reuters, more than 6,600 flights were cancelled and approximately 8,600 delayed. The disruption affected passengers at airports across the country, with thousands left stranded.

Aviation officials warned that the effects could continue for days as aircraft and airline crews remained out of position.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said preliminary investigations had not indicated that the incident was caused by a cyberattack. Officials also said there was no evidence linking the disruption to Microsoft’s earlier service outage.

The investigation is continuing, with federal agencies working to establish exactly what caused the communications failure.

The incident has renewed concerns about the condition of America’s ageing air traffic control infrastructure.

Duffy called on Congress to provide billions of dollars to modernise the system, arguing that outdated equipment could lead to similar disruptions in the future.

For now, flights are operating again, but passengers have been urged to remain in contact with their airlines as services gradually return to normal.