The Federal Aviation Administration grounded all flights across the country late on Friday afternoon “due to extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety,” the agency said.
The order was issued “following communication issues” impacting regional air traffic control centers that direct planes among airports, the agency said in a statement.
The order was only the second ground stop since one was issued after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, according to Reuters. A brief, two-hour ground stop was issued in 2023.
At Newark Airport, their list of departures merely said “Data currently unavailable.”