# US Grounds All Departing Flights Due To Communication Breakdown

> US grounds all departing flights as air traffic control communication issues trigger nationwide ground stop.
- Title: US Grounds All Departing Flights Due To Communication…
- Summary: US grounds all departing flights as air traffic control communication issues trigger nationwide ground stop.
- Keywords: faa, air traffic control, flight grounding, communication issue, regional air traffic centers, safety concerns, national ground stop, india, Ndtv
- Source: Ndtv — https://ndtv.com/world-news/us-grounds-all-departing-flights-due-to-communication-issue-impacting-all-air-traffic-control-centres-12324537
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: us, faa, air traffic control, flight grounding, communication issue, regional air traffic centers, safety concerns, national ground stop, india, news
## US Grounds All Departing Flights
The Federal Aviation Administration grounded all flights nationwide Friday afternoon due to communications problems at regional air traffic control centers.
## Ground Stop Imposed for Safety
The FAA notice said the ground stop was being imposed due to extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety.
## 22 Regional Centers Affected
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said there is a communications issue affecting 22 regional air traffic control centers that direct planes en route between airports nationwide.
## First Nationwide Ground Stop Since 2023
This is the first nationwide ground stop since January 2023, when a key FAA computer system malfunctioned.
## Previous Ground Stop After 9/11
Before that the last time had been after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
## Outdated Technology Overhaul
The government has been working to overhaul the outdated technology that air traffic controllers rely on since Congress approved $12.5 billion for the project last year.
## Additional Funding Needed
Duffy has said that another $30 billion will be needed to complete the work, and the White House has begun lobbying Congress to approve it.
## Similar to Past Outage
Aviation safety expert Steve Arroyo said the problem appeared similar to a regional air traffic control communication outage in September that snarled hundreds of flights across the Northeast.
## Risk of Communication Failure
If you don't have that ability, whether it's because the old wires that they have are just run down or for whatever reason, you've got to stop airplanes on the ground.
## Different From 9/11 Ground Stop
Friday's ground stop was different than the one after Sept. 11 because planes were not being told to land immediately and pilots likely were able to communicate with ground controllers at airports.
## Key takeaway

The US grounded all flights nationwide Friday afternoon due to communication problems at 22 regional air traffic control centers, the first nationwide ground stop since January 2023.