The Federal Aviation Administration has ordered a nationwide ground stop in the United States after a communication issue affected air traffic control centres across the country.
US Transport Secretary Sean Duffey confirmed that the communication problem was behind the decision and said all control centres were affected. His account puts the disruption on a national scale, rather than at an individual airport or regional centre.
The aviation authority cited ‘extraordinary circumstances’ and said the grounding was necessary for safety reasons.
The underlying cause of the communication problem and a timetable for resuming flights were not specified.
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