Abstract:
On the afternoon of November 13, local time, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced the implementation of a nationwide "Ground Stop" order for all airports in the United States due to a communication failure affecting all Air Route Traffic Control Centers (Air Route Traffic Control Centers). This measure resulted in the suspension of all scheduled flights across the United States, causing a large-scale impact on the U.S. air transportation network.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the grounding order was issued after a communication problem with the air traffic control system was discovered. FAA technical staff are investigating the fault, and relevant departments will promptly release the latest information based on the progress of the investigation.
According to the order issued by the FAA, all flights preparing to take off must remain on the ground until further notice. However, flights already in the air were allowed to continue flying according to the established flight plan and land safely. For international flights arriving in the United States, the FAA said it will handle them on a case-by-case basis.
As the grounding order came into effect, major airports in the United States were quickly affected. Many airports have confirmed that flights have stopped taking off, leaving a large number of passengers stranded in the terminals. Airlines have recommended that passengers check flight status in real time through official websites and mobile applications, and make changes or adjust itineraries according to the situation. Industry insiders pointed out that if the grounding lasts for a long time, it may trigger a chain of flight delays and cancellations, further expanding the impact on the air transportation system.
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Marin said in response to media questions that as of now, there is no indication that the failure is related to a malicious attack. He emphasized that the public does not need to worry about the safety of relatives and friends who are flying. The most important task at present is to find out the cause of the failure as soon as possible and restore the system to normal operation.
This is an extremely rare nationwide grounding in recent years. The FAA's most recent nationwide grounding occurred in 2023, when a failure in the pilot safety notification system forced a brief grounding of flights across the United States. Before that, the large-scale shutdown of the national air transportation system could be traced back to the "9·11" incident in 2001.
The FAA and the U.S. Department of Transportation said the investigation is still ongoing and the specific cause of the failure has not been announced. As the incident continues to develop, relevant departments are expected to release more details and a timetable for resumption of operations in the future.
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