The Federal Aviation Administration on Friday ordered a nationwide ground stop on all departing flights “due to extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety.”
The unusual alert contained no other information beyond stating that “all departing traffic should remain ground stopped until further notice.”
“Inbound international flights will be managed on a case by case basis,” the FAA said.
Nationwide ground stops are extremely rare.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in an X statement a short while later that the stop was "due a communication issue impacting all Air Route Traffic Control Centers."
"FAA technicians are investigating the issue," he said in an X post.