Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin stated there is no threat to the United States following a total ground stop issued by the Federal Aviation Administration on Friday afternoon.
Travelers faced widespread disruptions as flights were grounded due to communication difficulties. NPR reported on the White House briefing where officials addressed the sudden transport halt.
Mullin emphasized that all flights are accounted for and urged the public not to panic. “Everybody’s safe,” he told reporters at the White House.
What We Know About the Outage
Officials have not identified a specific timeline for resolving the nationwide telecommunications outage.
Mullin said that preliminary findings show no indication of a nefarious attack. “There was no prior indication. There was no indication as of yet that this was a nefarious attack against us,” Mullin told NPR.
Authorities are managing incoming international flights and aircraft currently in the air on a case-by-case basis. Mullin said that two locations in the U.S. remained unaffected by the communication failure, though specifics were not immediately available.
Investigations Into the System Failure
Federal officials addressed potential links to recent technological rollouts, including a new artificial intelligence air traffic tool deployed nationwide earlier in the week. Mullin said that current assessments show no connection between the AI tool and Friday’s outage.
Officials also examined whether the incident shared any origin with a Microsoft system outage reported the previous day. Mullin indicated investigators currently see no reason to connect the two events.
President Donald Trump was briefed on the situation by Duffy and other administration officials. White House press pools confirmed the President remains in Washington for the weekend before scheduled travel to Asia on Monday for upcoming summits in the Philippines and China.
Contact Medical Services During Terminal Delays
People with chronic conditions requiring time-sensitive medication should contact airline representatives or emergency medical services to arrange care if terminal delays occur.
| Event Detail | Status |
|---|---|
| FAA Action | Total Ground Stop Issued |
| Primary Cause | Telecommunications Outage |
| Security Status | No Threat Identified |
References
- Department of Homeland Security Briefing Transcripts
- Federal Aviation Administration Operational Updates
- National Public Radio White House Reporting
