The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grounded all departing flights nationwide after a communications failure hit air traffic control centres across the country, resulting in thousands of disrupted flights.
“The FAA issued a nationwide ground stop for all U.S. airports following communication issues impacting multiple Air Route Traffic Control Centres,” the FAA told Global News in a statement.
It said technicians are investigating the issue and it will provide updates as they become available.
The ground stop order is affecting flights between the U.S. and Canada’s major airports.
In a statement posted to social media, Toronto Pearson International Airport said flights were “impacted” and “there are currently no scheduled U.S.-bound departures or arrivals at this time.”
Vancouver International Airport told Global News it was aware of a “nationwide technology issue” that forced the ground stop.
“As a result, YVR is seeing delays for U.S. bound departures as well as some international flights that would fly over the U.S. Domestic flights within Canada are not impacted,” it said.
Edmonton International Airport told Global News in a statement that it has seven flights bound for the U.S. set to depart by the end of the day. It said these flights could be impacted.
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“As this is an evolving situation, passengers travelling to the United States today should check directly with their airline for the latest information on their flight before coming to the airport,” a spokesperson said.
Montreal-Trudeau International Airport said on social media that “all flights to and from the U.S. are suspended until further notice.”
A spokesperson for Calgary International Airport told Global News all U.S. bound flights are being held.
Spokespeople for Saskatoon International Airport and Regina International Airport told Global News they have no scheduled direct flights to the U.S. for the rest of the day Friday.
A spokesperson for Air Canada told Global News that flights to and from the Caribbean and South America may also be impacted.
“Any flights currently airborne have been advised they are permitted to continue,” they said in an email.
A spokesperson for Porter Airlines told Global News that all of its flights that fly over the U.S. to Mexico and the Caribbean have also been grounded.
NAV Canada said in a statement on social media that its systems were operating normally and it will “continue to support the safe movement of air traffic in our airspace, including any aircraft that may be diverted.”
NAV Canada is a private, not-for-profit civil air navigation service provider managing air traffic, weather briefings, flight planning and aviation technology.
Transportation Minister Steven MacKinnon said the federal government remains in contact with NAV Canada as it monitors the situation.
The disruption is the latest sign of strain on the US air traffic control system, which has been beset by equipment failures, communications problems and shortages of controllers while the FAA tries to replace aging infrastructure.
Congress approved $12.5 billion for the overhaul last year, and the FAA and White House asked lawmakers on Friday for another $30.1 billion.
Shortly before the announcement, the FAA halted traffic in Chicago due to air traffic control communications issues. The agency said, “All departing traffic should remain groundstopped until further notice.” The FAA said it would manage international flights on a case-by-case basis.
Friday’s halt was the second nationwide ground stop of all departures since the September 11, 2001, attacks. The other happened in January 2023, when the FAA paused all domestic departures for less than two hours.
With files from Reuters
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Source: globalnews.ca
