FAA grounds all US flights over nationwide comms glitch

The Federal Aviation Administration grounded every flight in the United States on Friday afternoon due to a widespread communications failure.

The agency issued a notice stating the ground stop was necessary because of extraordinary circumstances and safety concerns. This marks the first nationwide halt to air traffic since January 2023, when a computer system malfunction forced similar delays. Prior to that incident, the last total shutdown of U.S. airspace occurred following the attacks on September 11, 2001.

The disruption traces back to a breakdown in the systems that connect regional air traffic control centers. These 22 centers are responsible for directing aircraft as they move between airports across the country. FAA technicians began investigating the issue immediately after the failure was detected.

The glitch follows a similar regional outage in September that disrupted hundreds of flights in the Northeast. Aviation safety expert Steve Arroyo, a former United Airlines pilot, noted that the current problem appears linked to the outdated technology still in use by controllers.

“If you don’t have that ability, whether it’s because the old wires that they have are just run down or for whatever reason, you’ve got to stop airplanes on the ground,” Arroyo said. He added that keeping planes on the runway prevents the risk of losing communication with aircraft in the air.

The incident highlights the ongoing effort to modernize air traffic control infrastructure. Congress approved $12.5 billion last year to overhaul the aging systems. Since then, miles of old copper wiring have been swapped for fiber optic lines, and radio systems are being replaced at airports nationwide.

Despite these upgrades, work remains incomplete. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stated that another $30 billion is required to finish the modernization. The White House has begun lobbying Congress to secure that additional funding. Duffy confirmed that the current issue affects all 22 regional centers, though he said there is no indication yet of a nefarious act behind the failure.