PHOENIX — Every departure from Phoenix Sky Harbor and Arizona’s other major airports sat grounded for about four hours Friday after the Federal Aviation Administration ordered a rare nationwide ground stop, Arizona’s Family reported.
The FAA halted departing flights across the United States at about 2:15 p.m. Arizona time. “There has been a temporary telecommunications outage – out of an abundance of caution all flights have been halted,” the agency said, adding that every flight had been accounted for.
The stop was lifted at about 6:15 p.m., but delays and cancellations continued into the night. At least 1,194 flights were canceled nationwide on Friday, and 1,082 were already canceled for Saturday, according to Arizona’s Family.
Grounded airports in Arizona included Sky Harbor, Phoenix-Mesa Gateway, Scottsdale, Deer Valley and Flagstaff Pulliam, the station reported.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said a communications problem hit the regional air traffic control centers that direct planes between airports. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said there was no indication of a national security threat, though he did not rule out any cause, CNN reported.
It was only the second nationwide ground stop since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. The other came in January 2023, when a key FAA computer system failed.
The ripple effects reached sports and entertainment, too. Kickoff times for Saturday’s ASU and Arizona football games were pushed back, and country star Tim McGraw missed his Friday headline set at the Hondo Rodeo Fest in Phoenix.
Travelers should check flight status with their airline and ask about rebooking or compensation options.
Sources: Arizona’s Family, KTAR News / The Associated Press. Thee Arizona Times uses AI-assisted reporting reviewed against the sources listed.
Photo: Designism / CC0 via Wikimedia Commons.
