PHOTO BY "COOL GUY JON" VIA UNSPLASH.COM
9:15 P.M. UPDATE: The ground stop has been lifted, and air traffic operations are now permitted to resume following a temporary telecommunications outage.
5:20 P.M. UPDATE: MCO has issued the following statement.
“The FAA has issued a nationwide ground stop. MCO is receiving enroute arrivals, but there are no departures. All flights are on a delay. From 3:30 p.m. to midnight, there are approximately 220 scheduled departures. We ask that passengers please check with their airlines to confirm future departure times.”
The Federal Aviation Administration has ordered a nationwide ground stop on all departing flights at U.S. airports, which includes Orlando International Airport (MCO), citing “extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety.”
The ground stop was issued at 3:54 p.m. Friday, according to the Air Traffic Control System Command Center. The FAA advisory said, “All departing traffic should remain ground stopped until further notice,” and that inbound international flights will be managed case by case. The FAA posted the ground stop to its National Airspace System Status website.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a social media post that the stop followed a communication issue affecting all Air Route Traffic Control Centers, and that FAA technicians are investigating. But the FAA has not publicly given a more specific cause.
WIBC reported the order followed radio frequency and radar outages at several air traffic control centers. WCVB reported that minutes before the nationwide order, an advisory for Chicago O’Hare said flights were grounded because of an equipment outage. News On 6 reported that aviation monitoring accounts and news outlets suggested radio communication problems, possibly involving the Kansas City Air Route Traffic Control Center, but the FAA advisory does not mention a communications outage.
The advisory listed an estimated end time of 10 p.m. Central, which is 11 p.m. Eastern, but the FAA has said departures will stay grounded until further notice.
Orlando Shine has asked MCO for comment and has not yet heard back (because they’re obviously very busy).
Travelers should check with their airline for flight status. OrlandoShine will update this story as the FAA and the airport release more information.
