FAA issues nationwide ground stop for all flights due to 'extraodinary circumstances,' safety

ATLANTA — All flights in the United States are grounded until further notice, "due to extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety," the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement.

The Salt Lake City International Airport was affected and said it "is aware of the FAA nationwide ground stop. At this time the FAA does not have an estimated time for a return to service. SLC is working with our concessionaires and other airport tenants to support passengers whose travel has been unexpectedly impacted," in a social media post.

The cause of the ground stop was not immediately clear, but an FAA spokesperson says there is a communications problem impacting Air Route Traffic Control Centers, which handle flights going across the country.

"Traffic should remain ground stopped until further notice," the FAA said in an advisory. "International flights will be managed on a case by case basis."

The last time there was a nationwide ground stop in January of 2023 when a pilot notification system went down. Prior to that, the last time a nationwide ground stop was issued was after the September 11, 2001 attacks.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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