By STEPHEN M. LEPORE, US SENIOR REPORTER and CHRIS MELORE, US DEPUTY SCIENCE EDITOR and NIKKI SCHWAB, CHIEF CAMPAIGN CORRESPONDENT and WILKO MARTÍNEZ-CACHERO, US REPORTER
Updated:
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the hours-long ground stop of all flights across the country was a ‘national emergency’ as he cautioned that there was ‘nothing completely certain right now.’
Speaking at a press briefing at the White House, Mullin said the introduction of some new technology into an old air traffic control system overwhelmed it.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said ‘old hardware that went down’ caused the ground stop of all flights across the country after it was lifted shortly before 8.30pm ET following a major communications outage.
Trump administration officials said the system needed funding for a complete overhaul, estimating a $50 billion price tag.
‘I think the question for the American people is, do you want your Congress to fund this?’ Duffy added. ‘President Trump has asked for the money.’
Duffy said the ‘instability’ in the radar communications at air traffic control centers started at 3.36pm. More than 3,500 airplanes were in the air when the ground stop was issued.
So far, at least 8,500 flights into or out of the US have been delayed today, while nearly 7,300 others have been canceled, according to flight-tracking service FlightAware.
The Air Traffic Control System Command Center (ATCSCC) said at 3.54pm ET that the reason for the immediate halting of US flights was: ‘Due to extraordinary circumstances for safety reasons.’
The FAA said: ‘There has been a temporary telecommunications outage – out of an abundance of caution, all flights have been halted. Every flight has been accounted for, and international flights will be handled on a case-by-case basis.’
The halt triggered immediate chaos and confusion for travelers, with departure boards at many airports showing flights were operating normally, even as customers were unable to board planes.
President Donald Trump is getting constant updates on the situation, the Daily Mail understands.
FAA says airplane departures can resume
The Federal Aviation Administration says airplane departures can resume after the agency lifted a nationwide ground stop caused by communications problems.
The FAA had grounded all flights nationwide Friday afternoon, causing hundreds of flights to be diverted. Officials cited “extraordinary circumstances” caused by communications problems at regional air traffic control centers.
Stunning audio reveals the moment ground stop was issued
Air traffic control audio captured the moment the nationwide ground stop was issued and a student pilot was advised to land his pilot.
See the scenes in the air and across airports after passengers were informed of the ground stop
Video from across the US captured the moment the nationwide ground stop was issued on different flights and airports.
Thousands of flights canceled on Friday and Saturday
More than 6,000 flights on Friday were canceled by 9.30pm ET, according to FlightAware.
The disruptions also included roughly 1,500 flights being canceled on Saturday, per the flight-tracking service.
Duffy says NCAA teams to be prioritized ahead of football Saturday
The ground stoppage left dozens of college football and other sports teams stranded or unable to depart for their weekend games.
“I would encourage those football teams to reach out to the FAA, to schedule their flight times and make sure they can move” to make their kickoff, Duffy said.
Is America under attack? Friday the 13th terror grips US with flights grounded, boats crashing, tech meltdown and Trump cabinet officials hiding on military base. Experts sound the alarm with terrifying ‘mothership’ theory
America is on edge after a rare nationwide grounding of flights, a global tech meltdown and two ship crashes left many wondering whether the run of disruptions is simply bad luck on Friday the 13th or something far more nefarious.
The incidents come with the US at war with Iran and senior Cabinet officials living on military bases under threat. President Trump, who has only closed-door meetings on his schedule through the weekend, has yet to address the ground stop publicly. Instead, he took to Truth Social to post about his plan to save Hollywood.
Officials insist there is no evidence that the disruptions are part of an attack or that they are connected. But Chris Swecker, who spent 24 years with the FBI, told the Daily Mail that the timing was highly suspicious against the backdrop of America’s intensifying conflict with Iran and the recent election. Iran, he said, ‘thinks we’re in a weakened state right now.’
Duffy says getting planes back in the air will take some time
At the time of the ground stoppage, there were 3,500 airplanes in the sky.
“And last time I looked, we had less than, 400 in the airspace,” Duffy said.
He added, “it’s going to be slow” getting air traffic back to normal.
Duffy: ‘It’s the old hardware that went down.’
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy blamed an out of date system for the stall.
”It’s the old hardware that went down,’ he said in a press briefing at the White House.
‘I think the question for the American people is, do you want your Congress to fund this? President Trump has asked for the money,’ Duffy added.
FAA says airplane departures can resume after agency lifts nationwide ground stop caused by communications problems
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin promised ‘the public was never in danger through this process’ as they stop was lifted.
Ground stop officially lifted
Federal officials announced that the ground stop had been lifted after several hours, just after 8pm ET.
President Trump: ‘Old broken stuff’ in system could be responsible for ground stop
President Trump told Fox News Friday night that the ground stop doesn’t appear to be a cyber attack and said no one has taken credit for it.
He believes, as some have reported, that this was a system issue and that ‘old broken stuff’ he’s tried to upgrade is at fault.
JetBlue cancels all flights leaving JFK
Only flights to Europe will be allowed out of the New York City Airport, the New York Times reported.
Passengers are racing out of the airport’s Terminal 5 following an announcement played over the intercom.
