The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has lifted a nationwide ground stop imposed after a communications failure hit air traffic control centres across the country, but officials warned delays could persist as operations return to normal.
The grounding of planes on Friday — only the third ever in American aviation history — resulted in thousands of disrupted flights and affected travel between the U.S. and Canada, as well as some international flights that use American airspace.
U.S. officials pointed to communications problems at regional air traffic control centres as the issue. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Friday night resuming normal air travel would be a slow process.
The FAA began experiencing instability with its radar and communications systems at 3:36 p.m. ET, affecting facilities across the country, he said.
Duffy pointed to the aging U.S. air traffic control infrastructure and called on lawmakers to approve money to rebuild the system.
“I want Congress to give us emergency funding,” Duffy said during a news conference at the White House, referring to efforts to build a new air traffic control network.
The FAA told Global News earlier in the day its technicians were investigating Friday’s incident.
NAV Canada confirmed the FAA ground stop had been lifted.
“NAV CANADA will continue to ensure that air traffic remains safe and efficient in Canadian airspace. Some delays may persist as operations return to normal,” it said.
The privately run, non-profit corporation, which operates Canada’s civil air navigation system, says passengers should check the status of their flight with airlines.
The ground stop affected flights between the U.S. and Canada’s major airports and prevented other international flights from entering American airspace.
Airports across Canada were impacted.
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There were disruptions, including delays and cancellations, at Toronto Pearson, Vancouver, Edmonton, Montreal-Trudeau, Calgary and beyond.
The airports in Saskatoon and Regina were not affected, as their spokespeople said they had no direct flights to the U.S. scheduled for the rest of Friday.
Minister of Transportation Steven MacKinnon said the federal government remains in contact with NAV Canada as it monitors the situation.
The disruption is the latest sign of strain on the U.S. air traffic control system, which has been beset by equipment failures, communications problems and shortages of controllers while the FAA tries to replace aging infrastructure.
Congress approved $12.5 billion for the overhaul last year, and the FAA and White House asked lawmakers on Friday for another $30.1 billion.
Shortly before the nationwide announcement, the FAA halted traffic in Chicago due to air traffic control communications issues.
“All departing traffic should remain groundstopped until further notice,” the agency said, adding it would manage international flights on a case-by-case basis.
The Department of Homeland Security said there were no signs the outage was caused by a cyberattack.
“There is no indication, as of yet, that this was a nefarious attack against us. It’s just a telecommunication outage as of right now,” Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin told reporters outside the White House earlier Friday, adding President Donald Trump had been briefed.
“There’s no reason for the public to be afraid or scared for your loved ones. This isn’t another 9/11,” Mullin added.
Mullin reiterated during Friday evening’s briefing that officials did not believe the outage had put anyone at risk.
“The public was never at danger through this process. There was never any lives at risk,” he said.
“All your loved ones are safe.”
Mullin also said there was “no connection” between the grounding of flights and the worldwide Microsoft outage that shut down Outlook email on Thursday.
He said FEMA had activated centres and was working with airports, communities, cities and states to assist passengers, including those who may need access to medication.
Mullin said the department was examining all possible causes, including a new AI-powered air traffic control system called the Strategic Management of Airspace, Routes and Trajectories (SMART).
Air Space Intel, the company behind the AI-assisted smart system, said in a statement on social media that the ground stop “is not based on or a result of the SMART system, any product of AI or our integration with FAA and ATC.”
Friday’s halt was the second nationwide ground stop of all departures since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The other happened in January 2023, when the FAA paused all domestic departures for less than two hours.
With files from Reuters and The Canadian Press
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