The US authority overseeing aviation has grounded all flights across the country due to communications problems at regional air traffic control centres.
The notice from the Federal Aviation Administration said the ground stop was being imposed “due to extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety.”
Planes already in the air were allowed to land, but those on the ground could not take off.
US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said there is a communications issue affecting the 22 regional air traffic control centres that direct planes en route between airports nationwide.
He said FAA technicians are investigating. This is the first nationwide ground stop since January 2023, when a key FAA computer system malfunctioned. Before that the last time had been after the September 11, 2001, attacks.
Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin said there was no indication yet that “this was a nefarious attack against us. It’s just a telecommunications outage.”
“Everybody’s safe. There’s no reason to be concerned about your loved ones if they’re flying,” Mullin said.
No timeline has been given for restarting flights, leaving many thousands of passengers in limbo.
Mullin said investigators will look at whether there is any link to the FAA’s nationwide rollout of a new artificial intelligence system to help identify problems and reroute planes. But that system operates out of one location near Washington, DC and just sends recommendations to the air traffic control centres.
The government has been working to overhaul the outdated technology that air traffic controllers rely on since Congress approved $12.5 billion for the project last year. Miles of old copper wires have been replaced with fibre optic lines and old radio systems are gradually being replaced at airports across the country.
But much work remains. Duffy has said that another $30 billion will be needed to complete the work, and the White House has begun lobbying Congress to approve it.
The problem appeared similar to a regional air traffic control communication outage in September that snarled hundreds of flights across the Northeast, aviation safety expert Steve Arroyo said, except this time on a nationwide scale. It may be linked to the outdated technology used by air traffic controllers.
“If you don’t have that ability, whether it’s because the old wires that they have are just run down or for whatever reason, you’ve got to stop airplanes on the ground,” said Arroyo, who is a former United Airlines pilot. “And not put them in the air where you’re going to risk not being able to communicate with them.”
The US National Weather Service also said on Friday it was experiencing nationwide internet and communications issues. There was no immediate indication the two incidents were connected.
with Reuters
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