All U.S. Planes Grounded

Brian MacKenzie Teepell/USPA 24 News - SOURCE: FAA, and Flight Radar 24.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has grounded all flights in the U.S. for safety reasons after an issue with air traffic control communication.

Air traffic controllers across the U.S. are warning pilots that the nationwide FAA ground stop could last at least eight hours, as new details emerge about the communications failure. The eight-hour timeline comes from controllers speaking to pilots, not an official FAA reopening estimate.

The cause is a “communication issue impacting all Air Route Traffic Control Centers,” according to a social media post from Secretary Sean Duffy, head of the Transportation Department.

Flight Radar 24, a live air traffic tracking website, says that some flights are being allowed to leave for international destinations amid the outage, but on a case-by-case basis. Flights in the air will be allowed to land.

Secretary Sean Duffy, head of the Transportation Department posted this statement on X:"The FAA issued a nationwide ground stop for all U.S. airports following a communication issue impacting all Air Route Traffic Control Centers. FAA technicians are investigating the issue. We will provide immediate updates as we have them."

This is the second time all flights in the country have been grounded since the attacks on the Twin Towers on September 11th.The last time was in 2023, when the FAA halted flights for less than two hours, according to multiple reports.

Tiffany Chase, spokesperson with the Halifax Stanfield Airport, says they only have one flight heading to the U.S. that is delayed at the moment. The exact cause remains under investigation, and officials have not confirmed when departures will resume. This is a developing story.