What we know so far
A nationwide ground stop has been issued for all US flights due to serious air traffic control communication issues. Here is what we know so far:
- Flights in the air are permitted to land, but departures have been halted.
- Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin said government officials did not suspect foul play and there “was no indication as of yet that this was a nefarious attack”.
- US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the Federal Aviation Administration issued the order following a system-wide Air Route Traffic Control Centre failure. “FAA technicians are investigating the issue. We will provide immediate updates as we have them,” he said in an X post.
- The last time all flights in the US were grounded was in 2023. Prior to that, it was on September 11, 2001.
‘This isn’t another 9/11’: Homeland Security Secretary
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin told reporters at the White House that a telecommunications outage triggered the ground stop, and there was no suggestion at this stage that the problem was caused by a cyberattack.
“There is no indication, and we had no reason to believe as of right now, that this was a threat to the United States,” he said. “[But] we’re not ruling out anything at this point.”
Mullin said he saw no reason to connect Friday’s telecommunications issue with the outrage that affected Microsoft systems around the world the previous day.
“We are assured that everybody is safe. Everybody that is in the air … we’re going to get you on the ground. There’s no reason for the public to be afraid or scared for their loved ones. This isn’t another 9/11.”
No current indication of foul play: US Homeland Security
The Department of Homeland Security said there is currently no indication that the communication failure that triggered the nationwide ground stop of flights in the United States was caused by foul play.
With AP
When was the last time all US flights were grounded?
Saturday’s rare ground stop of all flights across the United States is only the third time in US history that a nationwide ground stop has been ordered.
The first was during the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and the other was in 2023 when the FAA’s Notice to Air Missions system failed.
What we know so far
A nationwide ground stop has been issued for all US flights due to serious air traffic control communication issues. Here is what we know so far:
- Flights in the air are permitted to land, but departures have been halted.
- Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin said government officials did not suspect foul play and there “was no indication as of yet that this was a nefarious attack”.
- US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the Federal Aviation Administration issued the order following a system-wide Air Route Traffic Control Centre failure. “FAA technicians are investigating the issue. We will provide immediate updates as we have them,” he said in an X post.
- The last time all flights in the US were grounded was in 2023. Prior to that, it was on September 11, 2001.
Welcome to our coverage
Welcome to our coverage of the nationwide flight ground stop in the United States.
Earlier today (Saturday morning AEDT), a ground stop was issued for all flights across the United States due to “extraordinary circumstances and reasons for safety” after authorities reported serious air traffic control communications issues.
This means all in-air flights may land, but flights on the ground cannot take off. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a nationwide ground stop for all US airports following a communication issue impacting all Air Route Traffic Control Centres, US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said
We will keep you updated throughout the day.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: www.smh.com.au
