WASHINGTON, Nov. 13 — The Federal Aviation Administration halted departures across the United States Friday afternoon after a telecommunications outage affected the air traffic control centers that guide planes between airports. Flights already in the air were allowed to land, while international flights were handled case by case. apnews.com

The FAA issued the nationwide ground stop shortly before 4 p.m. Eastern, citing safety concerns. The agency said every flight had been accounted for. By Friday evening, federal officials had not announced a cause, and there was no confirmed timetable for a nationwide resumption of departures. bronx.news12.com

The disruption quickly spread beyond the United States. Reuters, citing FlightAware, reported more than 1,000 cancellations and nearly 10,000 delays. Some flights from Canada and Europe were canceled, and some arriving aircraft had to wait on taxiways as gates filled up. www.reuters.com

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the communications problem affected the FAA’s regional air traffic control centers, which direct flights through U.S. airspace between airports. FAA technicians were investigating. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said there was no indication at the time that a cyberattack was responsible, though officials had yet to determine what triggered the outage. The Washington Post

Asked whether the failure could be connected to Thursday’s Microsoft outage, Mullin said investigators were not ruling anything out. Officials did not establish a link between the two disruptions. apnews.com

At some airports, passengers had already boarded when the stop took effect. The Associated Press reported that an American Airlines flight from Wichita to Chicago waited about an hour before returning to the gate and letting passengers off. In the air, a Delta captain flying from Detroit to Fort Lauderdale told passengers that departures had been suspended but that their flight was still on track to land. The Washington Post

It was the first nationwide ground stop since January 2023, when a failure in an FAA system that sends safety notices to pilots forced the agency to pause departures. Friday’s order was a systemwide halt to takeoffs, not a grounding of a particular aircraft model. The Washington Post

American Airlines warned passengers to expect disruptions through the rest of Friday. Travelers should check their specific flight with their airline before leaving for the airport, even if departures have resumed there. apnews.com