All flights in the United States have been grounded by the Federal Aviation Administration.
It cited ‘extraordinary circumstances and reasons of safety’ as the basis for doing so.
The alert did not immediately contain any further information but stated that ‘all departing traffic should remain ground stopped until further notice’.
‘Inbound international flights will be managed on a case-by-case basis,’ the notice added.
The alert first appeared on the FAA website but was soon removed.
It was later reported that a communications problem has impacted Air Route Traffic Control Centers.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy added in a social media post: ‘FAA technicians are investigating the issue. We will provide immediate updates as we have them.’
Nationwide ground stops are extremely rare.
There has not been a nationwide ground stop since January 2023, when a pilot notification system went down.
Prior to that, the last ground stop was issued after the September 11, 2001, attacks.
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