The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a nationwide US airports ground stop order on the afternoon of the 13th, halting all departing flights across major airports including Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
The FAA stated that the directive was implemented due to unusual circumstances and safety reasons, mandating all departures to remain on the ground until further notice. However, flights currently in the air were not ordered to return, and incoming international flights are being handled on a case-by-case basis.
This unprecedented flight suspension stems from an issue within the aviation air traffic control communication network. Sean Duffy, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation, explained that the measure was triggered by a communication outage affecting air traffic control centers nationwide.
While initial orders were slated to last until 2:00 PM Pacific Time, the lack of a specified lifting time in the official notices has led to ongoing confusion at airports. This nationwide ground stop marks the first system-wide halt since a January 2023 computer system malfunction, and only the second time since the airspace closures following the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001.
