US Flight Ban Grounds All Departures Nationwide Over Safety Concerns

The Federal Aviation Administration has paused all departing flights at every US airport, while arriving international flights will be handled case by case.

The US flight ban has stopped all departures from airports across the country. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced the nationwide pause as an emergency safety step.

Emergency notice orders planes to stay on the ground

The agency explained the decision in an urgent notice. The statement was clear about who can fly and who cannot.

“Due to emergency circumstances and for safety reasons <…> a departure ban has been introduced at all airports by order of the federal aviation command center. All departing traffic must remain on the ground until further notice. Arriving international flights will be handled on an individual basis,” the agency’s emergency notice states.

Restrictions started in the afternoon and may last for hours

The restrictions took effect at 15:53 local time. Early estimates say they will stay in place until 23:00 or 23:30. That means the US flight ban could last for more than seven hours.

Officials point to a communications failure

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy named the cause of the measures. He said a communications failure hit air traffic control centers. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin added a key detail. He said there is no evidence so far that a malicious attack caused the incident.

Thousands of flights delayed or cancelled

Flight tracking service FlightAware reports more than 10,000 delayed flights. Over 1,400 more flights have been cancelled. Despite the US flight ban, two passenger flights still left for Europe. They departed from Boston at 17:21 and 17:25.

A rare step in US aviation history

This is only the second case of its kind since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The FAA last ordered a ban on domestic departures in January 2023. That restriction lasted less than two hours.