FAA Lifts Nationwide Ground Stop; MCO Expects 90 Cancellations Saturday
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy blamed old hardware for the hours-long halt. Orlando International is asking travelers to confirm with their airline before heading to the airport.
Orlando International Airport expects 90 flight cancellations on Saturday after a nationwide ground stop disrupted air travel, according to News 6 ClickOrlando and reporter Anthony Talcott.
The Federal Aviation Administration lifted the ground stop at 8:15 p.m., federal officials announced. The halt lasted hours.
What officials say happened
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said at a Friday night news conference that the problem began around 3:30 p.m. Radars and communication with airplanes became inconsistent, he said. The ground stop was issued with more than 3,500 planes still in the air.
The FAA first described a temporary telecommunications outage and said flights were halted out of an abundance of caution. The agency also said: "Every flight has been accounted for, and international flights will be handled on a case by case basis."
Duffy also pointed to the agency's older air traffic control system. News 6 reported that the Trump Administration has been trying to replace it. According to Duffy, the switches and routers became overloaded with data and began giving inconsistent information, so the system was shut down. The new IP switches did not go down, he said. The old hardware is what failed.
What it means for Orlando travelers
MCO issued a statement after the ground stop ended. The airport said it anticipates 90 cancellations for Saturday, but that number may fluctuate as airlines resume operations.
Passengers are being asked to check with their airlines to confirm future departure times. The airport also asked travelers to avoid coming to the terminal unless the airline has confirmed the flight will depart.
For travelers on an impacted flight, MCO said its partner Visit Orlando has arranged discount hotel rates. Rosen Hotels and Resorts is offering its rate to anyone with proof of a ticket on an impacted flight. Hilton Orlando is offering what the airport called a distressed rate.
What we still don't know
News 6 did not report how many flights were canceled or delayed nationwide, or when airline schedules will return to normal. Saturday's 90-cancellation figure at MCO could change.
The explanation so far comes from the federal government's own account. News 6 did not report any independent review of what went wrong.
MCO directed anyone with specific questions about the ground stop to the FAA press office at pressoffice@faa.gov or 202.267.3883.