Photos Show Trouble at Airports As FAA Issues Nationwide Ground Stop

Boarding areas began to fill up at airports across the country.

On Friday afternoon, the FAA said in a post on X that there has been a temporary telecommunications outage.

“Out of an abundance of caution, all flights have been halted,” said the FAA. “Every flight has been accounted for and international flights will be handled on a case by case basis.”

Flight boards are flashing red and orange across all major airports. Transportation officials have not yet said why they issued the ground stop.

In some airports, stranded passengers are congregating in terminals as security check lines grow longer.

Jon Lett, a passenger who was traveling from the Salt Lake City Airport to Chicago, told Business Insider that everyone on his flight has been told to disembark and wait.

Lett said that, though the mood among passengers remains “chill,” there is no telling whether his flight will be able to depart anytime soon.

Photos show planes parked back-to-back at Chicago O’Hare International Airport.

National ground stops are historically rare for the FAA.

In January 2023, the FAA halted flights because of an outage involving its pilot alert system. Before that, nationwide air traffic was halted following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Traffic outside airports began to pile up as the nationwide ground stop became a multi-hour emergency.