A Federal Ground Stop was issued due to “extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety,” grounding all flights nation-wide. In a very brief statement from Federal Aviation Administration, it says the decision was made “following communication issues impacting multiple Air Route Traffic Control Centers. FAA technicians are investigating the issue. We will provide updates. “
The order was issued on Nov.13 around 4 p.m. and has prevented departures of thousands of planes, impacting an estimated 1.5 million people and leaving many stranded. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin added that the preliminary reports do not indicate a cyber attack.
This impacts communications between Air Route Traffic Control Centers (ARTCCs), which primarily manage Class A airspace (18,000 feet and above) along with high-altitude portions of Class E airspace. Leaving lower-altitude airspaces that reach areas generally more local in vicinity to airports, unaffected.
“All flights currently en route to AVL will be allowed to land safely at AVL but all departures are paused until further notice. All passengers should check directly with their airline for the most up to date information regarding their flights,” said Angi Daus, vice president of air service and corporate communications at Asheville Regional Airport on the night of the grounding.
UPDATE: After investigation, the FAA attributed the communication issue to old technology.
“We have old switches, old routers. We use 1980s little copper lines. It’s an old system that went down and went down everywhere. It got overloaded,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a news conference.
The Ground Stop was lifted on Nov. 13 at approximately 8:15 p.m. Operations at Asheville Regional Airport (AVL) have resumed.
Operations at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport (CLT) are also back to normal. A source reported the airport to be “relaxed and not crowded,” with “no huge lines or delayed flights.”
A friend of this reporter inside Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) said the airport is back to operating as well, but is “very busy.”
“I switched my flight from Frontier to Delta since ATL is a Delta hub.” Said source Kendal Cardenas, a passenger traveling from Atlanta back to Phoenix, Arizona. “A pilot told us that airlines with hubs inside the airport are likely being prioritized and that flights are easier to get at a hub. He also said it’s easier to get all the staff on standby near a hub.”
“People are clearly annoyed.” Cardenas said, “TSA wasn’t terrible to go through but clearly they feel a bit more rushed than normal.”
Cardenas also said there were long lines at customer service desks, and lots of people “standing around trying to figure it all out.”
