Nationwide ground stop halts flights at Greensboro and all U.S. airports

Flights from Greensboro and every other U.S. airport stopped Friday afternoon after the Federal Aviation Administration issued a nationwide ground stop. The order was triggered by a temporary telecommunications outage that affected all Air Route Traffic Control Centers, according to the agency.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the issue is currently under investigation. In a post on X, the FAA stated that all flights had been halted out of an abundance of caution. The agency added that every flight has been accounted for and international flights will be handled on a case-by-case basis.

As of 6 p.m. EST, FlightAware reported that more than 10,000 flights had been delayed and 2,500 had been canceled in the United States. This disruption follows a day of severe delays, with nearly 7,000 flights delayed on Thursday. The current outage marks the first time since 2023 that the FAA has grounded all U.S. airports for a single technical failure.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin told reporters at the White House that the outage has not been linked to a threat or attack. He stated there was no indication of a threat to the United States and said there was no reason for the public to be afraid for their loved ones.

Mullin noted that the telecommunication issue does not extend to the entire country. He said two areas inside the United States are still able to communicate without issue, though he did not name the specific regions. He also said other countries' aviation systems do not appear to be affected by the FAA outage.

The FAA recently began rolling out an AI-enhanced software tool called the SMART system as part of an overhaul of the nation's air traffic control system. Air Space Intelligence, the company that makes the tool, dismissed speculation that its product caused the disruption. The company said the ground stop is not based on or a result of the SMART system, any product of ASI, or their integration with the FAA and air traffic control.

Passengers at airports across the country reported confusion and long waits. At Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, Regina Harling waited hours past her scheduled departure time before learning of the grounding on her phone. A sign near her gate still indicated boarding in 16 minutes, she said. Harling was traveling last minute to San Diego for a family emergency and expressed doubt about reaching her family soon.

Giliann Karon was on board a plane at Chicago O'Hare International Airport when the ground stop was ordered. She had already experienced a delay the previous day due to bad weather in New York City, her destination. She described the situation as a common frustration for travelers during the holiday season.

The FAA is continuing to investigate the root cause of the telecommunications outage. The last comparable ground stop occurred in 2023, when contract workers inadvertently deleted critical files from the NOTAM system. That event had prompted fears of a cyberattack, but the FAA later determined the cause was human error. Current data indicates the Friday outage is similar in scale but distinct in origin.

Airports in North Carolina, including Piedmont Triad International Airport in Greensboro, have adjusted schedules and begun rebooking passengers. The FAA did not provide a specific time for when operations would resume. Officials said updates would be provided as the investigation progresses.