FAA issues nationwide ground stop, delays in Atlanta and elsewhere mount

The Federal Aviation Administration issued a nationwide ground stop for all U.S. airports Friday afternoon, an extremely rare move.

A ground stop means all aircraft on the ground must stay parked. Those in the air may still land with air traffic control guidance.

As of 4:30 p.m. a cascade of more than 500 flights at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport were already delayed, according to flight tracking website Flight Aware.

Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy blamed the situation on a “communication issue impacting all Air Route Traffic Control Centers.”

An FAA alert cited by Axios said the move was made “due to extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety.”

The FBI Atlanta office has “not been advised of anything,” agency spokesperson Tony Thomas said in an email to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Air Route Traffic Control Centers are responsible for coordinating flights en route in regions of airspace. The center that controls Atlanta’s airspace is in Hampton, south of Atlanta.

Hartsfield-Jackson air traffic controllers and pilots heard on their radio channel Friday didn’t seem to have more specific information about the problem, speaking only of general “communication issues” with no details on time frame.

Pilots were beginning to shut down their engines while waiting for an update, with air traffic control approval.

“We will provide immediate updates as we have them,” Duffy wrote.