The Federal Aviation Administration issued a rare nationwide ground stop Friday afternoon, November 13, ordering all departing flights at U.S. airports, including George Bush Intercontinental and William P. Hobby in Houston, to stay on the ground. The Air Traffic Control System Command Center issued the order at 3:54 p.m. Eastern time, 2:54 p.m. Central, citing “extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety.” Under the advisory, departing traffic is to stay grounded until further notice, and inbound international flights are being handled on a case-by-case basis. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the ground stop was ordered after a communication issue affecting all Air Route Traffic Control Centers, which handle aircraft flying between airports. He said FAA technicians are investigating and updates would be released as they become available. The FAA’s website for posting airport status alerts was working only intermittently Friday afternoon. No timeline has been given for lifting the order. Travelers with flights scheduled Friday evening should check with their airline before heading to the airport, since delays are expected to ripple through the system even after flights resume. This is a developing story and will be updated.
THIS IS FOR SCHEDULED AIRCRAFT ONLY-
