What to Know
- A rare nationwide ground stop was issued by the FAA.
- The communications problem affected all Air Route Traffic Control Centers, which manage high-altitude aircraft.
- Airports in Southern California urged passengers to check with airlines for information on delays and cancellations.
- Once planes already in the air are on the ground, authorities said it will be “some time” before operations resume.
- Among those grounded was the USC women’s basketball team, which is scheduled to play at No. 1 South Carolina.
- An unprecedented national ground stop was ordered after the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks.
- In January 2023, the FAA grounded all flights, citing a failure in the Notice to Air Missions system, which alerts pilots to a host of potential dangers.
Flights and Los Angeles International Airport and across the country were ordered to be halted Friday afternoon when federal safety authorities issued a nationwide ground stop due to what they called “extraordinary circumstances.”
The unusual order for all U.S. airports means all departing aircraft were ordered to remain on the ground at airports across the country, pending a resolution. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the problem that led to the order involved a telecommunication outage.
Details about what caused the problem were not immediately available. Mullin said planes were grounded out of an “abundance of caution.”
The FAA said every flight has been accounted for and international flights will be handled on a case by case basis.
“Everybody is safe. Flights are accounted for,” Mullin said. “There should be no fear for the public at all.”
Once planes already in the air are on the ground, Mullin said it will be “some time” before operations resume.
Long Beach Airport, John Wayne Airport and Hollywood Burbank Airport also issued advisories urging passengers to check with airlines for information about delays. An announcement informing travelers about the FAA order was issued over the public address system at Hollywood Burbank Airport.
Two travelers at LAX said they found out just as they were about to take off, forcing the crew to find an open gate and de-plane. Among those grounded was the USC women’s basketball team, which is scheduled to play at No. 1 South Carolina Sunday in a highly anticipated matchup.
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin says the FAA groundstop is due to a “telecomunications issue” and that “everyone is safe.”
NBC4 meteorologist Belen De Leon was about the catch a flight from Hollywood Burbank Airport when the ground stop was ordered.
“People are just making themselves comfy,” De Leon said. “I talked to gate agent who said all the planes that were en route to Burbank have landed. They have their hands full.”
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the communications problem affected all Air Route Traffic Control Centers. The 22 ARTCC facilities in the United States, including one in Palmdale, manage high-altitude aircraft. They handle communications once an aircraft gets about 16,000 feet and is on its way to its destination, said former military and airline pilot Kurt Driskill.
“They are absolutely critical for aircraft to fly across the United States,” Driskill said.
Layers of air travel communications include high-altitude, midlevel and towers on the ground. The high-altitude centers are affected by the communications outage.
Driskill said it’s likely pilots in the air relayed information to passengers and explained the plan moving forward.
Gov. Newsom said in a statement that state authorities are closely monitoring the FAA ground stop.
Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, is at capacity and Chicago O’Hare International Airport is nearing capacity, NBC News reported Friday afternoon. That means there is no place for planes to park and some still in the air may need to divert to other airports.
An unprecedented national ground stop was ordered after the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks. All civilian air traffic in U.S. airspace was halted and airborne planes were ordered to land at the nearest available airports.
In January 2023, the FAA grounded all flights, citing a failure in the Notice to Air Missions system, which alerts pilots to a host of potential dangers.