Travelers flying out of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport are facing temporary departure suspensions after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a nationwide ground stop affecting flights across the United States.
The FAA said all flights are grounded until further notice “due to extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety.” The agency has not yet identified the cause, but an FAA spokesperson confirmed a communications problem is affecting Air Route Traffic Control Centers, which manage flights traveling across the country.
Preliminary reports indicate the disruption is not the result of a cyberattack, according to two law enforcement officials.
Sea-Tac Airport confirmed the impact on local travelers in a statement, saying the FAA’s order affects departures at SEA and airports nationwide. Departures are temporarily suspended, and passengers are being advised to check directly with their airlines for the latest flight information.
“We’ll provide updates as more information becomes available,” the statement reads on the Port of Seattle website.
The nationwide ground stop is a rare occurrence. The last time the FAA grounded flights across the country was in January 2023, when a pilot notification system experienced an outage. Before that, the previous nationwide ground stop followed the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
What Sea-Tac travelers should know: Passengers scheduled to depart from SEA should contact their airlines directly for updates on flight status, delays and potential cancellations. Departures will remain suspended until the FAA lifts the ground stop. Further details about the communications issue and when normal flight operations may resume have not yet been announced.
