The Federal Aviation Administration grounded all flights nationwide Friday afternoon because of communications problems at regional air traffic control centers. The FAA notice said the ground stop was being imposed “due to extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety.”
All flights out of Portland International Airport are on hold and travelers should contact airlines directly for the latest flight impacts, the airport said in a travel alert posted to its website Friday afternoon.
Eugene Airport Assistant Director Andrew Martz told KLCC that no inbound flights have been affected, though airport officials are also trying to get more details on the grounding.
He said passengers with upcoming flights should contact their airline for more information.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said there is a communications issue affecting the 22 regional air traffic control centers that direct planes en route between airports nationwide. He said FAA technicians are investigating. This is the first nationwide ground stop since January 2023 when a key FAA computer system malfunctioned. Before that the last time had been after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
The government has been working to overhaul the outdated technology that air traffic controllers rely on since Congress approved $12.5 billion for the project last year. Miles of old copper wires have been replaced with fiber optic lines and old radio systems are gradually being replaced at airports across the country.
But much work remains. Duffy has said that another $30 billion will be needed to complete the work, and the White House has begun lobbying Congress to approve it.
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Oregon Public Broadcasting contributed to this story
