FAA Grounds Flights Across the US Over Communication Issues and Safety Concerns

The flight suspension was issued due to “extraordinary circumstances and safety reasons,” the FAA said, without providing further details.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy wrote on X that the decision was made because of “communication issues” affecting all of the country’s regional air traffic control facilities.

“FAA technicians are investigating the matter,” he added.

Inbound international flights will be handled on a case-by-case basis.

Passengers on a plane that landed at Los Angeles International Airport say it is stuck on the runway and is not allowed to move to its designated gate, reports the American CBS.

Around 3,000 international flights bound for the United States are in the air, reports the British BBC, citing the website Flightradar24, which monitors international air traffic.

Nationwide ground stops of this type are extremely rare in the United States. Since the terrorist attacks in New York in 2001, this has only happened once before, according to CNBC - in January 2023, when problems were discovered with the pilots’ warning system. That stoppage lasted less than two hours.

Last year, Congress voted to allocate $12.5 billion, equivalent to 125 billion kronor, to fix the FAA’s outdated communications system. As recently as this week, the White House asked for another $30 billion to upgrade the systems, Reuters reports.