The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a nationwide ground stop for all departing flights in the United States due to a temporary telecommunications outage, disrupting thousands of flights.
The widespread halt to departures and delays to landings across all US airports was caused by a telecommunications breakdown, though Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin stated there was no evidence of a cyberattack. This marks the latest in a multiyear series of equipment malfunctions, staffing crises, and airline technology glitches that have repeatedly snarled US aviation. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy indicated that unwinding the situation would take time, also pointing to Congress for a claimed lack of funding for systems upgrades. The FAA lifted the ground stop after four hours, but flight cancellations were expected to extend into the weekend, with air travel recovery potentially taking days.