The FAA has ordered an emergency halt to all departures across the country, citing unspecified safety concerns The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has ordered a nationwide ground stop for all departing flights across the United States, citing unspecified safety concerns.The emergency directive took effect at 3:54pm Eastern Time on Friday, with all departing aircraft instructed to remain on the ground until further notice.According to the advisory, international flights arriving in the US are being handled on a case-by-case basis. The FAA has not publicly explained what prompted the extraordinary measure or how long it will remain in effect.US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the nationwide ground stop was prompted by a “communication issue impacting all Air Route Traffic Control Centers.”“FAA technicians are investigating the issue. We will provide immediate updates as we have them,” he wrote on X.According to CNN, the last nationwide ground stop was ordered in January 2023 following a failure of the system that provides safety notices to pilots. The previous such shutdown occurred during the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.DETAILS TO FOLLOW