Local
FAA Grounds All U.S. Flights After Telecommunications Outage, Stranding Thousands at Hartsfield-Jackson
A nationwide ground stop ordered by the FAA after a telecommunications outage halted departures at airports across the country, including Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson, where more than 600 flights were delayed and hotels and rental cars sold out. Officials said there was no indication of an attack.
Federal aviation authorities halted departures at airports across the United States on Friday afternoon after what the FAA described as a temporary telecommunications outage, stranding travelers at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and triggering a scramble for hotel rooms and rental cars.
The ground stop, confirmed by Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and the FAA, allowed flights already in the air to continue to their destinations but barred new departures nationwide. The FAA told the Associated Press the stoppage stemmed from unspecified "extraordinary circumstances." By 5:22 p.m., the agency attributed the disruption to a "temporary telecommunications outage."
At Hartsfield-Jackson, the world's busiest airport, the impact was immediate. FlightAware data showed 628 flights delayed and 22 canceled as of 4:54 p.m. Airport officials said arriving flights could still land, but departures were suspended.
"The FAA has issued a ground stop affecting departures at ATL and other major airports," an airport spokesperson said in a statement. "Arriving flights are permitted to land, however, departures are temporarily suspended. Travelers should check with their airlines for flight updates."
By evening, at least 40 hotels near the airport reported no vacancy, and eight rental car companies â Alamo, Avis, Enterprise, Hertz, National, Payless, Sixt and Thrifty â had no cars available at the airport, according to checks by local reporters.
Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum, speaking in a televised interview, urged patience as the situation at the airport and surrounding area persisted. The department said it was increasing patrols at the airport to assist with crowd control.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said there was no indication the ground stop resulted from a threat or attack, and confirmed that air traffic controllers could still communicate with pilots in the air despite the outage.
Airlines moved quickly to suspend operations and brace for cascading delays. JetBlue said it had temporarily halted all departures and warned customers to expect delays and cancellations. American Airlines said it anticipated disruptions for the rest of the day and would have "all hands on deck" once the ground stop lifted. United Airlines said new domestic flights would not depart while the order remained in place and that it would work with affected customers once the issue was resolved.
The timing threatened to complicate weekend travel, including college football matchups. The University of Missouri arrived in Athens ahead of its game against Georgia before the ground stop took effect, while Georgia Tech traveled by bus to Clemson, South Carolina, avoiding the flight disruption.
The cause of the telecommunications outage was not immediately detailed, and officials did not say how many flights or airports were affected or when departures might resume. The episode highlighted how dependent the nation's air travel system remains on communications infrastructure, and how quickly a single outage can ripple through airports, airlines and local economies.