No aircraft allowed to take off; extraordinary measure in the US, reportedly due to an ATC failure; 3,000 flights affected.

Extraordinary Measure in the US: All Take-offs Halted; ATC Glitch Suspected as 3,000 Flights Approach

An extraordinary measure has been taken in the United States, with a directive issued to halt all aircraft take-offs. Indications suggest that this strict instruction stems from a communication failure within Air Traffic Control (ATC) centers. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued the notice without specifying an exact cause, though it noted that international flight traffic is currently being monitored. The last time such a measure was implemented in the US was in January 2023, when the pilot notification system experienced a malfunction. Prior to that, such a directive had only been issued following the 9/11 attacks. Authorities state that the FAA is investigating the technical issue and that further updates will follow. Take-offs have been prohibited at several airports, including those in Atlanta, Washington D.C., Miami, BWI Marshall, and George Bush Intercontinental. According to FlightRadar data, approximately 3,000 aircraft are currently en route to various airports across the United States.