Overview
- The FAA's Command Center directed all departures to remain on the ground Friday and extended the restriction until further notice.
- Aircraft already airborne were allowed to land and incoming international flights are being evaluated case by case by U.S. officials.
- Technicians are investigating a communications problem affecting Air Route Traffic Control Centers, known as ARTCCs, which handle en-route traffic across the United States.
- Local equipment failures at Chicago's two main airports were reported shortly before the national order but officials have not confirmed a direct link to the wider outage.
- The halt has caused thousands of delays and cancellations and recalls a rare sequence of national groundings, most recently in January 2023, and could accelerate calls for further FAA investment to modernize aging control systems.