Federal Aviation Administration imposes a complete ban on takeoffs at all US airports

Washington, Nov 13 (KUNA) — The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced on Friday the imposition of a nationwide ground stop on all departures from U.S. airports “due to a communications failure.” U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stated in a post on the social media platform X that the FAA had ordered a comprehensive halt to all takeoffs at U.S. airports following a communications disruption that affected all air traffic control centers. Duffy added that FAA technicians are currently investigating the outage and that updates will be provided immediately as new information becomes available. In an unprecedented move since the September 11, 2001 attacks, the U.S. federal agency directed all aircraft preparing for takeoff to remain on the ground until further notice, citing “exceptional circumstances” and “safety concerns.” Flights arriving in the United States from abroad will be handled on a case-by-case basis, amid growing questions about the reasons behind the blanket decision, as the FAA has not disclosed specific details regarding the circumstances surrounding this emergency measure. (End) R.S.R./M.A.H.A.