National ground stop halts flights at all DC-area airports

WASHINGTON (7News) — A national ground stop issued by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has halted all flights in Washington, D.C.

According to a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA), it’s not known at this time how many flights are affected by the ground stop.

The spokesperson added, however, that airport facilities are open and operational for passengers, including shops and restaurants.

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“Our operations team is monitoring the airfield and working with airlines to handle arriving aircraft at gates or other parking positions. We will continue to provide airport assistance as needed to airlines and passengers throughout the incident,” the spokesperson said.

FAA officials said the ground stop was ordered because of “extraordinary circumstances” and safety concerns.

“There is no reason for the public to be afraid,” Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said during a news conference. “This is a telecommunications outage,” he added.

Passengers should continue to check with airlines for flight-specific updates as the situation develops.