The FAA has lifted the nationwide ground stop that halted departures across the United States, NBC News reported on Friday evening, citing the agency.
An FAA Command Center plan said traffic would be released “as conditions allow” using a tiered approach. Delays and cancellations are expected to continue.
The FAA told airlines that a network router problem, believed to have started at Chicago Midway Airport, caused the nationwide outages and ground stop, CNN reported.
The outage reportedly hit a telecommunications network overseen by L3Harris Technologies, which handles radio communications between controllers and pilots. CBS News reportedly cited sources saying an update to the network caused it to reboot and crash.
President Donald Trump said the ground stop does not appear to be linked to a cyberattack but could be caused by outdated systems he has sought to upgrade, Fox News reported.
The FBI does not believe the outage was caused by a cyberattack or criminal activity, Bloomberg reported. Microsoft said it had “no indication” of a link to its services.
More than 13,000 U.S. flights were disrupted, with over 3,300 canceled and 10,200 delayed.
Before the lift, American Airlines said some flights were beginning to receive clearance. Washington’s Reagan National Airport ran out of space to park planes, CNN reported.
Mullin: No Sign of an Attack
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said there is currently no indication of an attack against the United States, AP reported. He said “this isn’t another 9/11,” according to Reuters.
“Everybody is safe. There is no reason to be concerned about your loved ones if they’re flying,” Mullin said in remarks shared by the White House.
Duffy Cites Communication Issue
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said at 4:16 p.m. Eastern on Friday that the FAA “issued a nationwide ground stop for all U.S. airports following a communication issue impacting all Air Route Traffic Control Centers.” He added that FAA technicians were investigating.
Official Order Halts Departures
The Air Traffic Control System Command Center issued Advisory 111 at 3:54 p.m. Eastern under the title “National Ground Stop.” It said that “due to extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety,” all airports were ground stopped and departing traffic should remain so until further notice.
Chicago Stops Cite Comms Issues
Before the national advisory, Advisory 107 had stopped flights bound for O’Hare from 3:10 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Eastern, citing an “equipment / outage” and “comms issues.” Midway received a matching stop under Advisory 109.
The FAA has also taken unusual airspace steps before, including a 10-day closure over El Paso, and U.S. airports have faced separate system disruptions.
Crews Report Frequency Outages
Per FlightDeck, a Delta crew flying from Boston reported “freq/radio issues.”
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