FAA grounds US flights nationwide after telecom outage hits control centers
What's new: Officials reported at least 600 diversions and no sign so far that the outage was a malicious attack.
The Federal Aviation Administration halted departures across the United States on Friday after a telecommunications outage disrupted communications at the 22 regional air traffic control centers that guide planes between airports. The rare nationwide ground stop was the first since January 2023 and only the second since the Sept. 11 attacks. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said there was no indication of a malicious act, while Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the FAA was investigating the communications failure. By early evening, aviation data firm Cirium counted at least 600 diversions, including flights sent back to their origin airports or rerouted elsewhere, as delays spread into the night.