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LOS ANGELES () — A ground stop issued by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Friday caused massive travel disruptions across the entire country, including the many Southern California airports.
All departing flights were grounded for just under five hours, causing nearly 5,000 flights to be canceled and more than 10,000 flights to be delayed around the country.
The ground stop was first issued at 12:54 p.m. PST. It was officially lifted around 5:22 p.m. PST.
Its effects are expected to continue through the weekend as thousands of flights remain delayed or canceled.
Some flights were back in the air Friday night, but travelers at airports across the country faced long delays, canceled itineraries and uncertainty about reaching their destinations.
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy confirmed in a post on X that a telecommunications outage was impacting all Air Route Traffic Control Centers, effectively leading to all U.S. flights being grounded.
Duffy also said that FAA technicians were investigating the issue.
That initial FAA alert said:
“Due to extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety. Attention all aircraft operators, by order of the Federal Aviation Command Center, all airports are ground stopped. All departing traffic should remain ground stopped until further notice. Inbound international flights will be managed on a case-by-case basis.”
Thousands of travelers in Los Angeles and across the country are trying to figure out what to do next after more than 2,000 flights have been canceled and more than 10,00 flights have been delayed due to an FAA-ordered ground stop.
Shortly before 4 p.m., before the ground stop was lifted, a few international flights began taking off at LAX. Planes bound for Tokyo, the Philippines, and Hawaii all departed. Around the same time, Ontario International Airport also announced that westbound-only flights that go over the ocean would be resumed.
In a press conference held just as the ground stop was lifted, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin reiterated that there was “no cyberattack.”
“I just want to reiterate this: The public was never at danger through this process. There was never any lives at risk. There was no flights at risk,” he said.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said that “inconsistency” in data from routers in the air traffic control system led to the FAA issuing a nationwide ground stop Friday.
At 3:36 p.m., “We experienced instability for our radar and our communications in our centers and our TRACONs across the country,” he said, referring to Terminal Radar Approach Control facilities.
Duffy described an “incredibly old air traffic control system” that uses analog telecom.
“Our switches, our routers, actually got overloaded with data … and started to give us inconsistency in the data from those routers. And because of that, we shut the system down,” he said.
Still, when pressed on whether the administration can say with 100% certainty it wasn’t a cyberattack, Mullin responded, “There’s nothing completely certain right now,” then said, “It doesn’t appear that way.”
“There is nothing that indicates it yet,” he continued, saying there hasn’t been any evidence of an entity claiming to be behind one.
“It appears that this was mechanically driven. However, we’re still looking, so we’re not going to rule that out,” Mullin said.
This is the second time since Sept. 11, 2001, that the FAA has ordered a nationwide ground stop. The last time was in 2023, when the FAA NOTAM system went down, and pilots could not get their pre-departure paperwork.
Air Route Traffic Control Centers are responsible for all flights above 18,000 feet. There are 22 of those centers in the U.S.
Travelers at Burbank Airport in Southern California said they changed plans and headed home after the FAA issued a nationwide ground stop. Travelers said it was less stressful than waiting at the airport.
Ground stop affects passengers at SoCal airports
Passengers at LAX on Friday afternoon were told they should expect hours-long delays.
Aerial footage from Hollywood Burbank Airport showed people deplaning and crews unloading luggage.
A family who was traveling to a wedding arrived early at the Burbank airport only to find that their flight had been delayed due to weather. Once on the plane, they were met with the news of the FAA ground stop.
“We were sitting and waiting for about an hour or so before we had to deplane because of this grounding,” the passenger said. “Plans are still up in the air, for right now. My dad’s trying to track down our bags. They’re somewhere in the airport or maybe on the plane. I think we’re probably going to head home for today because people were making it sound like there’s a very slim chance we get another flight for this evening, but we hope to make it into San Francisco in time for the wedding.”
One passenger on her way to Alaska found out about the ground stop when she arrived at John Wayne Airport in Orange County and told Eyewitness News that even though her flight was showing as being “on time,” a gate agent told her that her flight was most likely going to be delayed.
“They’re saying that it’s probably not going to be on time, but that things could shift quickly and I can take my chances,” said Mary Jo. “I’ll sit it out for a while, and if it gets into the evening hours, I’ll probably find a hotel, go home tomorrow.”
7’s Dominique Newland was at LAX on her way to Las Vegas when she and other passengers were told to expect at least a four-hour delay as her plane was jetted off to the hangar.
7’s own Dominique Newland is among the countless passengers impacted by the FAA nationwide groundstop. She called Eyewitness News with a look at the impacts from inside LAX, where her flight was eventually canceled.
“They said eventually, whenever we do board, we’ll also be having to do a plane swap as well. So it’s kind of like just a waiting game. They said that, you know, this is out of their control as well. So it’s just a lot of questions that remain unanswered. And everyone is just kind of waiting and hanging out to see what’s next and if 4 p.m. is really going to be our departure time or not,” Dominique said.
In a later update, she told Eyewitness News that her flight was officially canceled, with no rebooking options.
Some passengers told Eyewitness News that they might try their luck driving to their destinations instead.
By early Friday evening, rental car companies at John Wayne Airport said they were no longer accepting walk-ups because every single vehicle had been reserved or rented out already.
The Munson family, visiting Southern California from Utah after a trip to Disneyland, was trying to find a way home.
“Either my daughter’s husband will drive down here to pick us up tomorrow and we’ll drive back home. We booked a flight but a booked flight doesn’t mean anything until we know what’s going on,” Robert Munson said while waiting at LAX.
People stuck at John Wayne Airport in Orange County decided to rent cars and drive to their destinations instead of waiting out an FAA-ordered ground stop. Two women on the same flight decided to team up and caravan across the country.
Travelers from Mexico headed to LAX stranded amid ground stop
Travelers flying to Los Angeles from Mexico faced disruptions after the FAA’s nationwide ground stop led to delays and cancellations on some international routes.
Mexico’s Federal Civil Aviation Agency, or AFAC, said it implemented temporary restrictions on air operations as a preventive safety measure following the FAA order.
Among those affected was Kimberly Monteon, a Pomona resident traveling from Tepic, Mexico, to Los Angeles. Monteon said passengers had already boarded her flight and were waiting for departure when airline staff announced the aircraft could not leave and instructed everyone to deplane.
Passengers were later told the flight had been canceled, forcing travelers to wait for rebooking information and retrieve their luggage. Monteon said airline representatives indicated the next available flight to Los Angeles might not depart until Monday.
FAA ground stop casts uncertainty over major Hollywood events this weekend
The nationwide ground stop is raising concerns about potential disruptions to several major entertainment industry events scheduled in Los Angeles this weekend.
Among the biggest events is the 2026 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, which is set for Saturday at the Peacock Theatre in downtown Los Angeles. The travel disruption could affect music stars and musicians who live outside the area and are expected to attend the event.
A nationwide ground stop is raising concerns about potential disruptions to several major entertainment industry events scheduled in L.A.
On Sunday, the Academy’s annual Governors Awards are scheduled to take place. The event traditionally attracts many stars and is considered a key stop on the awards season calendar.
This year, the Academy is set to honor actress Glenn Close, animator Floyd Norman, filmmaker Ridley Scott and producers Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler.
Organizers have been contacted to determine whether the ground stop could affect plans for the weekend’s events.
News contributed to this report.
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