A ground stop is an air traffic control measure that slows or halts the flow of aircraft inbound to a given airport. In other words, a ground stop is the halting of departing aircraft destined for one particular airport or for a specific geographic area. For example, if a ground stop is called for Newark Liberty International Airport, aircraft departing for Newark from other airports will not be given departure clearance until such time that the ground stop in Newark is lifted. This allows, in this example, for Newark to deal with the task at hand preparing for arriving aircraft once the ground stop is lifted. Ground stops may occur during an operational event, a thunderstorm, due to the danger of wind shear, hail, or another weather-related hazard. A ground stop does not affect flights en route, but it is often accompanied by orders to divert to other cities.[citation needed] Flights that have not departed their airport of origin will be delayed or cancelled.[citation needed] Airlines are required to manage their aircraft at all airports to minimize the impact to passengers affected by the ground stop.[citation needed] From Wikipedia
