The US Federal Aviation Administration on Friday issued an advisory that prevented the takeoff of flights in US airspace for around five hours, creating chaos for travelers and airports. The stop was finally lifted around 8:30 PM Eastern Time, but only after thousands of flights were canceled or delayed, leaving travelers stranded. The FAA has not yet confirmed a reason for the stop. Original story below:
"The FAA issued a nationwide ground stop for all U. S. airports following a communication issue impacting all Air Route Traffic Control Centers," said US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy in a statement. "FAA technicians are investigating the issue. We will provide immediate updates as we have them." A spokesperson at the FAA press office reached by phone said he was unable to provide further information. And an email response from the agency repeated Duffy’s statement. The FAA ATCSCC advisory halts departing flights and says international flights will be dealt with individually. The notice says, "Due to extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety. Attention all aircraft operators, by order of the Federal Aviation Command Center all airports are ground stopped. All departing traffic should remain stopped until further notice. Inbound international flights will be managed on a case by case basis."…