US air traffic halted nationwide for a time due to technical problems

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which oversees civil aviation in the country, on Friday halted aircraft takeoffs and landings nationwide. The cause was a technical failure affecting air traffic control centers, according to BBC and CNN. The restrictions were imposed for safety reasons, and it is not yet known when they will be lifted.

What happened

US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the FAA ordered a stop to flights at all American airports after communication problems affected every regional air traffic control center. FAA technicians are currently investigating the cause.

The FAA said flights were suspended because of "extraordinary circumstances and safety considerations". Departures are banned until further notice. International flights already en route to the United States will be assessed individually.

Citing the flight tracking website Flightradar24, the BBC reports that about 3,100 aircraft were already flying toward US airports when the ban took effect. After the order was issued, no new flights departed from US airports.

Why it matters

CNN explains that air traffic control centers are regional bodies that coordinate aircraft movement over long distances across the United States. The communication problem therefore affected not a single airport or region but the country's entire air traffic management system.

A nationwide halt on this scale is rare in the US. CNN notes that flights were previously stopped across the country in January 2023, when a system that sends pilots essential safety information and notices about flight conditions stopped working. Before that, a similar nationwide order was issued after the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001.

It is currently unknown how long the restrictions will remain in force and how many flights have been affected overall. The FAA has promised to provide updates as soon as more is established about the cause of the communication failure.