Officials and Airlines: No Timeline for Resolving Nationwide Flight Disruption as Cancellations Mount
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin warned that there was no known timeline for resolving the technical issue that had grounded all flights across the United States, expecting the process to take an extended period.
Mullin stressed that the flight suspension was not prompted by any threat to the United States and was not related to the Microsoft systems outage earlier this week that caused disruptions. Law enforcement sources told CNN that initial reports indicated the incident was not the result of a cyberattack. U.S. President Donald Trump was also briefed on the situation, according to CNN.
The disruption represents the latest and most prominent sign of the pressures facing the U.S. air traffic control system, which has been plagued by equipment and communications failures, a shortage of air traffic controllers, and aging infrastructure.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a post on X that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had issued a nationwide ground stop affecting all flights at U.S. airports following a communications problem that impacted all air traffic control centers along flight routes. He added that the agency's technicians were investigating the issue and that updates would be provided as the situation developed.
Airline officials said the FAA had not set a potential time for lifting the flight suspension, although initial indications showed that communications problems were improving in some areas.
The FAA announced the nationwide flight suspension at 3:54 p.m. Eastern Time (20:54 GMT). Shortly before the announcement, the agency had halted air traffic in Chicago due to air traffic control communications problems. Aircraft already in the air were allowed to land, while those on the ground were prevented from taking off.
The U.S. National Weather Service also reported internet and communications disruptions across the country on Friday, although there were no immediate indications that the two incidents were connected, according to Reuters.
