Nationwide Ground Stop Hits O’Hare, Midway Amid Communications Issue

CHICAGO — The Federal Aviation Administration ordered a nationwide ground stop Friday afternoon following a communications issue affecting all Air Route Traffic Control Centers, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said.

FAA technicians were investigating the problem, Duffy said in a statement posted on X.

"We will provide immediate updates as we have them," he wrote.

The FAA's nationwide advisory directed all departing traffic to remain grounded until further notice, citing "extraordinary circumstances" and safety concerns. Inbound international flights would be handled on a case-by-case basis.

The national advisory was issued at 2:54 p.m. Central time.

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Ground stops at Chicago O'Hare International Airport and Midway International Airport began at 2:10 p.m., WGN reported. The FAA initially listed an equipment outage as the reason.

The Chicago restrictions were initially scheduled to end at 3:30 p.m., with an extension possible. The subsequent nationwide order instructed departing aircraft to remain grounded until further notice.

Travelers should check their airlines for flight-specific updates.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.