British News Agency

The nationwide ground stop in the United States has been lifted. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) stated that extensive tests had been conducted to verify system stability and operational reliability, after which flights were allowed to resume.

In a social media statement, US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said telecommunications problems had occurred at FAA facilities and Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) centers at 3:36 p.m. US Eastern Time.

Duffy reported that more than 3,500 aircraft were in the air when the nationwide ground stop was imposed as a precaution. He noted that pilots and air traffic controllers followed established procedures to land aircraft safely, adding that the number of aircraft in the airspace had fallen below 400 by 8:00 p.m.

Emphasizing that the FAA had not lost all of its radar or telecommunications systems, Duffy said exemptions had been granted for emergency medical evacuation flights, the transportation of life-saving cargo and law enforcement flights.

In its statement, the FAA confirmed that the ground stop had been lifted and that some flights had resumed. The agency said testing had verified system stability and operational reliability and advised passengers to contact their airlines for the latest information about their flights.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) also announced that it was supporting state and local authorities and assisting passengers affected by delays in close coordination with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the FAA. FEMA stated that returning to normal operations could take time despite the resumption of flights.