The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a nationwide ground stop on Friday, halting all flights across the United States for several hours after a technical failure affected the country's air traffic control system.
The FAA notice said the ground stop was being imposed “due to extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety”. Thousands of flights were affected, and disruption is expected to continue over the weekend.
Cause of the Ground Stop
The disruption was traced to a technical issue involving an update to the US air traffic control system. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said new technology had overwhelmed the ageing network.
Officials said there was no indication the incident was caused by a cyber attack or terrorism. The FAA gradually lifted the restrictions, with the nationwide ground stop ending in the early hours of Saturday.
Ongoing Disruption
However, the disruption has continued to cause knock-on delays and cancellations as airlines work to get services back on schedule. Thousands of flights have been affected, including services operated by major carriers such as Delta, JetBlue, United and American Airlines.
Airlines in the UK have warned that delays could continue despite the ground stop being lifted.
