Thousands of passengers flying to and from UK airports experienced major disruptions and travel chaos after the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a rare nationwide ground stop.
The FAA halted all flights across the U.S. "due to extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety" following a significant communications failure impacting air traffic control systems nationwide. While the ground stop was eventually lifted after several hours, the ripple effects continued to impact travel schedules.
Heathrow Airport, Britain's busiest, was described as a scene of "real confusion" shortly after the announcement. A British Airways flight en route to New York's JFK Airport was forced to return to Heathrow due to a medical emergency onboard. Passengers on this flight, and others, expressed uncertainty about their onward travel plans.
"I need to go back to America urgently," one passenger said. "Now I have no idea how I will get back. It's going to be carnage. It's real confusion."
British Airways apologized for the delays and advised passengers to travel to the airport as planned. The airline stated it would operate flights scheduled for the following day but could not guarantee against further changes due to the ongoing situation.
According to FlightAware, more than 15,000 flights were delayed and another 1,700 were canceled by Friday evening in the U.S. In the UK, Cirium data indicated over 4,000 flights were canceled or classified as 'no-fly'.
While the exact cause of the failure remained under investigation, sources suggested a potential software update gone wrong. U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin stated there were no signs of foul play and described the incident as a "telecommunications outage." He reassured the public that all flights were accounted for and that those in the air would be handled on a case-by-case basis.
"There is no reason for the public to be afraid or scared for your loved ones. This isn't another 9/11… This is a telecommunications outage," Mullin said. He cautioned that resolving the issue would take time.
A spokesman for American Airlines confirmed that flights already in the air could continue to their destinations but anticipated schedule disruptions for the remainder of the day. Similar statements were issued by Virgin Atlantic and Aer Lingus, who were monitoring the situation closely and advising customers to check flight statuses.