American Airlines ground stop hits nationwide after system outage
The FAA confirmed a nationwide American Airlines ground stop Tuesday evening after an IT outage affected airports and facilities.
By Sal Moretti · Money Reporter
2 min read
An American Airlines ground stop was in effect nationwide Tuesday evening after an IT system outage, the Federal Aviation Administration confirmed.
The FAA said the disruption triggered a national ground stop for the carrier. According to the Air Traffic Control System Command Center, the outage was affecting all airports and facilities.
FlightAware reported that American Airlines planes were still landing, but were not departing while the ground stop remained in place.
Why is American Airlines under a ground stop?
The FAA attributed the ground stop to a system outage. A ground stop means aircraft covered by the order are held from taking off, even as some flights may still be allowed to arrive.
American Airlines addressed the disruption in a post on X, apologizing for the outage and saying its IT team was working to restore the system as quickly as possible.
The airline’s post did not provide a restoration time in the details reported by CBS News. The FAA confirmation came Tuesday evening, and CBS News described the situation as developing.
What flights are affected?
The Air Traffic Control System Command Center said all airports and facilities were being affected by the IT outage. FlightAware’s status report, cited by CBS News, said the carrier’s planes were landing but not departing.
No additional operational details, such as how many flights were delayed or canceled, were included in the initial report. The disruption applies nationally, according to the FAA confirmation.
American Airlines is based in the Dallas area and is one of the largest carriers in the United States. The immediate issue Tuesday evening was not weather or airport-specific congestion, but an airline system outage, according to the FAA and the airline’s statement on X.
The airline said its technology staff was working on getting the system back online. Until departures resume, passengers booked on American Airlines flights could face delays at airports covered by the ground stop.
This story draws on original reporting from CBS News.