--- title: "FAA Issues Full Ground Stop for US Flights Over System Failure [UPDATE]" description: "The [Federal Aviation Administration]() (FAA) [halted all departing flights]() nationwide after a system that provides airplane pilots with pre-flight safety notices went offline Wednesday morning. Some incoming flights from outside the United States were also affected, causing airline passengers to…" date: "2023-01-11" modified: "2023-01-11" authors: - name: "Jerry Perez" job_title: "Deputy Editor" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/jerry-perez" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/all-us-departing-flights-halted-after-faa-system-failure" categories: - "News" tags: - "Aviation" --- # FAA Issues Full Ground Stop for US Flights Over System Failure \[UPDATE\] ![]() *\Getty \* The [Federal Aviation Administration]() (FAA) [halted all departing flights]() nationwide after a system that provides airplane pilots with pre-flight safety notices went offline Wednesday morning. Some incoming flights from outside the United States were also affected, causing airline passengers to get stuck on the tarmac at major airports across the world. The system outage was discovered around 8:00 a.m. ET and had caused 32,578 flights to be grounded by 8:07 a.m. ET, according to *[Reuters]().* ***UPDATE 1/11/23 10:00 a.m. ET:** The FAA has lifted its order to ground all domestic flights, allowing airports nationwide to resume their daily operations. Despite this, many airports are still showing ground stops and airlines are now dealing with mass flight delays and cancellations, per* [CNN]()*.* The cause for the failure is still unknown, and no recent issues with the Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) system have been reported. [Secretary]() of Transportation Pete Buttigieg reported that flight departures should resume around 9:00 a.m. ET via [Twitter.]() The FAA [confirmed]() as much around 8:45 a.m. ET, confirming that flights were already being cleared for takeoff at New Jersey's Newark Liberty. The busiest airport in the world—Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson—would resume operations at the top of the hour along with others. The White House has been in communication with the FAA this morning, with [President Joe Biden]() saying he's asked the Administration as well as Buttigieg for a report on the matter. ![]() *A flight departing LAX sits still due to the FAA system's failure. *Getty** "I just spoke with Buttigieg, said Biden according to *[CNN]()*. "They don't know what the cause is. But I was on the phone with him the last 10 minutes. I told them to report directly to me when they find out. Aircraft can still land safely, just not take off right now. They don't know what the cause of it is. They expect in a couple of hours they'll have a good sense of what caused it and will respond at that time,” he added. Biden was asked about the possibility of the issue being a cyberattack, to which the President responded: "They don’t know. they will find out.” This issue comes just two weeks after air passengers suffered from massive flight cancellations due to a major blizzard that swept through the midwest and northeast. The heavy snowfall and whiteout conditions forced airlines to cancel the majority of their flights along the eastern seaboard. *Got a tip? Email us at tips@thedrive.com* ## Author Jerry is responsible for upholding The Drive's ethos as an audience-first, enthusiast-driven car blog that serves up industry-leading news, reviews, culture, and motorsport coverage. Overseeing a staff of writers and editors from his home base in Indianapolis, he helps curate the site's daily rundown, as well as its medium- and long-term content strategies. Jerry joined The Drive in 2018 as a writer and worked as news editor and managing editor before becoming the deputy in 2023. As a lifelong car enthusiast and racing fan, Jerry believes that all cars are cool, but the people behind the machines are even cooler. This belief often gives The Drive a slightly different focus from most other car sites, where we explore the humanity behind the machines. When he's not obsessing over the day's biggest stories or hanging out at a race track, Jerry can be found behind the wheel of a car, most likely sharing a laugh with his teenage son or daughter. ### Author social links [Instagram]()