US nationwide flight stoppage on Friday throws airports into chaos

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which oversees civil aviation in the country, ordered all flights grounded nationwide on Friday afternoon. According to an FAA notice, the cause was communications problems at regional air traffic control centers. The agency lifted the stop four hours later, but disruption continued and the travel plans of thousands of passengers were upended.

Frustration was widespread in terminals. At New York's John F Kennedy airport, flights were cancelled even for passengers who had already boarded. Steve Honberger, heading home to Portland, Oregon, with his wife and daughter, said their plane sat at the gate for an hour and 40 minutes before they asked to get off and rebook. A man who gave his name as Andy said his flight to California was cancelled with no information and no rebooking, so he would miss a family event.

Later, passengers on international flights began boarding, and applause broke out at the gates. An airline representative said only international flights were moving for the time being. Confusion continued after the stop was lifted: Larson Welsh, travelling from Paris to Las Vegas, said his flight was cancelled, a kiosk then showed a 3am departure, and the desk staff knew nothing.

Scale and consequences

According to the website FlightAware, there have so far been 10,343 delays within, into or out of the US, along with 1,479 cancellations. Flightradar24 data show more than 1,000 aircraft were bound for the US when the stop was announced.

Only two national ground stops have been issued before: on 11 September 2001, after the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, and in January 2023, after a communications failure.

The stoppage also affected sport, leaving NBA, NHL and college teams stranded as they tried to reach destinations before a big weekend of games. It was unclear whether referees, who typically fly the day before games, would arrive on time.