US grounds all flights after ‘communication issue’

DEVELOPING STORY, US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says federal aviation agency is ‘investigating the issue’.The United States has grounded flights across the country after a “communication issue” impacted traffic control centres, US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said.“FAA [Federal Aviation Administration] technicians are investigating the issue. We will provide immediate updates as we have them,” Duffy wrote on social media.About 7,000 flights have been either delayed or cancelled due to the stop, according to FlightAware.The disruption is the latest sign of strain on the US air traffic control system, which has ⁠been beset by equipment failures, communications problems and ⁠shortages of controllers, as the FAA tries to replace ageing infrastructure. Congress approved $12.5bn for the overhaul last year, and the FAA and White House asked lawmakers on Friday for ⁠another $30.1bn.This is the first nationwide US ground stop since January 2023, when a key FAA computer system malfunctioned. Before that, the last time had been after the September 11, 2001, attacks.The FAA has not provided any indication of when the ground stop might be recalled.This story is developing…