The Federal Aviation Administration’s rare nationwide ground stop, issued on Friday afternoon, has since been lifted, with officials confirming that all departing flights had been halted due to “extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety.” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy acknowledged that it would take considerable time to “unwind” the events that unfolded that afternoon. Despite the ground stop being lifted, both Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and Dallas Love Field Airport continued to experience significant delays.
Multiple sources have informed CBS News that the disruption was triggered by an update to the private communications network that connects the nation’s air traffic control system, which caused the system to reboot. Upon rebooting, the FAA’s telecommunications infrastructure crashed, resulting in a widespread communications outage. The system in question is operated by technology and communications company L3Harris.
The FAA confirmed that communication issues affected a number of air route traffic control centers. Restoring full operational normalcy was expected to take an extended period of time, with no clear timeline established. The Air Traffic Control System Command Center issued the following alert: “By order of the Federal Aviation Command Center all airports are ground stopped. All departing traffic should remain ground stopped until further notice. Inbound international flights will be managed on a case by case basis.”
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin addressed reporters in a briefing outside the White House, stating that “there was no indication, as of yet, that this was a nefarious act against us. It was just a telecommunication outage, as of right now.” He further emphasized, “There is no indication, we had no reason to believe, that as of right now, that this was a threat to the United States. This was a telecommunication outage throughout FAA. Out of an abundance of caution, we have grounded all the flights. And all the flights are accounted for.” Secretary Mullin also confirmed that all airborne flights would be able to land safely.
Aerial footage captured by CBS News Texas showed aircraft parked at terminals and on the tarmac at DFW Airport, one of the nation’s busiest aviation hubs. At Dallas Love Field, 178 flights were delayed and 43 were canceled, while DFW Airport reported 591 delayed flights , down from a peak of over 800 , along with 526 cancellations. Passengers were advised to check directly with their airlines for the most current flight status information.
DFW Airport issued a statement confirming its coordination with the FAA: “Our customer service teams are assisting in terminals. Continue to check flight status with your airline. We thank our passengers for their patience during this national travel disruption.” Shortly before 8 p.m., the first flight in more than five hours departed DFW Airport , American Airlines Flight 192, bound for Barcelona, Spain.
American Airlines released the following statement to CBS News Texas: “We expect disruption to our schedule for the rest of the day, depending on the length of the FAA’s nationwide ground stop. It will be all hands on deck across American to get customers on their way as soon as possible when the FAA lifts this ground stop.”
At the time of the ground stop, approximately 3,000 aircraft were airborne and bound for U.S. airports, according to CBS News estimates as of 3:30 p.m. Southwest Airlines also issued a statement: “Southwest Airlines is engaged with the FAA and is making operational adjustments across our network in compliance with the nationwide groundstop. We recognize the disruption this may cause for our Customers and their travel plans, and our Teams are working to minimize impacts wherever possible. Nothing is more important to Southwest than the Safety of our Customers and Employees. We will continue to monitor the situation and share updates with our Customers as they become available.” Delta Air Lines announced that a travel waiver was in place, permitting customers to modify their travel plans at no additional cost.
Flight delays accumulated at major airports throughout the country, including those in Boston, Atlanta, Miami, Pittsburgh, New York City, Los Angeles, and Baltimore. This nationwide ground stop represents only the third such occurrence in history. The first took place on September 11, 2001, in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C. The second occurred in January 2023, following a system failure within the FAA’s Notice to Air Missions system, a ground stop that lasted nearly 12 hours.
Beyond the impact on commercial travel, the ground stop also raised concerns regarding college sports. Multiple reports indicated that college football teams had been unable to reach their Saturday game destinations. The Southeastern Conference issued the following statement: “The Southeastern Conference is aware of the FAA’s nationwide ground stop and the potential impact on team travel for this weekend’s competitions. We are in close communication with our member institutions to assess potential disruptions and coordinate appropriate responses. The safety and well-being of student-athletes, coaches, and team personnel remain our highest priority. We will continue to monitor developments and work with our institutions to determine whether any adjustments to scheduled competitions become necessary.”
The Big 12 Conference also responded, stating: “Due to the national FAA ground stop impacting team travel, the Big 12 Conference is evaluating potential changes to Saturday’s football schedule. The Conference will continue to monitor the travel disruptions alongside its member institutions and provide updates for Saturday’s games.”
