Thousands of Flights Halted in Rare Nationwide Ground Stop
2,529 Views
Comments (7)
Share (19)
Print
“We Need New Leadership”: Van Hollen Launches Bid to Unseat Schumer
Intel for Intercessors: Jim Jordan
Too Many Christians Have Bought the Lies of Islam
Nearly Half of Americans Have Walked Away from Both Parties
Thousands of Flights Halted in Rare Nationwide Ground Stop
2,529 Views
Comments (7)
Share (19)
Print
I Prayed
have prayed
The FAA stopped every departing flight in the country on Friday afternoon after a communication failure hit air traffic control centers nationwide. It is only the third nationwide ground stop since the September 11 attacks.
Join the community of Monthly Ministry Partners and help IFA provide prayer resources to other intercessors.
From The Daily Wire:
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered a nationwide ground stop Friday, halting departures at all U.S. airports due to “extraordinary circumstances” and “reasons of safety.”
. . .
The outage comes a day after the FAA expanded a new AI tool called Strategic Management of Airspace Routing Trajectories (SMART) to “assist in managing air traffic across the entire national airspace system,” according to Ars Technica.
From Fox Weather:
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy issued a statement shortly after the announcement, saying “a communication issue impacting all Air Route Traffic Control Centers” was the reason for the ground stop.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin moved quickly to calm the public. He said there was no sign of a nefarious attack. “This isn’t another 9/11,” he told reporters. He explained that communications were being overwhelmed at certain levels but had not stopped entirely, and that he had no timeline for lifting the ground stop. Asked whether the new AI system played a role, Mullin said officials “just can’t rule out anything at this point.”
The disruption was enormous. Fox Weather reports that roughly 3,000 flights were in the air when the order came down, and some may have to land wherever they can. More than 7,800 flights had been delayed or canceled by 4:45 p.m. Eastern. About an hour into the ground stop, some flights were being allowed to land. The last nationwide ground stop came in January 2023, when an FAA computer system failed, and the one before that followed the 9/11 attacks. Friday’s outage also comes after years of warnings about aging air traffic control equipment. In 2025, after a series of outages at Newark, the Trump administration proposed a multibillion-dollar overhaul of the U.S. air traffic control system that includes six new air traffic control centers and technology and communications upgrades.
Let’s pray for the thousands of passengers and crews caught in the air or stranded in terminals, that God would bring every flight down safely and give travelers patience and peace. Let’s pray for air traffic controllers and FAA technicians working under intense pressure, that God would give them clear minds and steady hands as they restore the system. Let’s pray that investigators quickly uncover what caused this failure, whether it was aging equipment, the new AI tool, or something else, and that the truth would be made public. Let’s also pray for wisdom for Secretary Duffy, Secretary Mullin, and President Trump as they decide how far to trust artificial intelligence with systems that millions of lives depend on.
Were you or someone you know affected by the ground stop? Share your prayers and scriptures in the comments.
(Excerpts from The Daily Wire and Fox Weather. Photo Credit: Jessica Christian on Unsplash)
Comments (7)
Share (19)
Post A Prayer
Print
I Prayed
have prayed
Post A Prayer
Related Content
“We Need New Leadership”: Van Hollen Launches Bid to Unseat Schumer
I Prayed
Intel for Intercessors: Jim Jordan
I Prayed
Partner with Us
Intercessors for America is the trusted resource for millions of people across the United States committed to praying for our nation. If you have benefited from IFA's resources and community, please consider joining us as a monthly support partner. As a 501(c)3 organization, it's through your support that all this possible.
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Privacy Policy
Comments
Thank You Lord as we recognize Your indwelling presence in us. We love Your bright presence in us. We love Your presence, apart from connecting with You we can do nothing. John 15:5 that we would abide in You today as Intercessor’s and the days ahead Your fruit in us would last in Jesus name, amen
Father, we pray the source grounding these flights nationwide is revealed. I pray for the presence of Christ in the mist of this trouble to give people peace. Give the pilots and crew discernment so they know the true nature of this situation (EHP 1:17). Let Your legions of angels guide flights in the air to safety. Amen.
My daughter and her husband were scheduled to return to NJ today from England. I pray they are able to return safely and in a timely manner.
We pray that this failure will make our system better and safer because “All things work together for those who love God and are called according to his purpose” . Amen.
Thank The Lord our protector who brought this Air Traffic Control very serious issue to their attention!! Praise God who watches over our Nation like the great Shepherd He is!!! Let us pray that this will be a wake up call for the Congress to approve the necessary funding to properly upgrade all aging Air Traffic Control Systems! We are very blessed that not one hair on their head was damaged for those in the air yesterday!!
Our Heavenly Father. Thank you so much that the Ground Stop is being lifted and some
Charter Flights are able to resume travel. The whole Country was grounded for many hours
into the night. It was a very scary thing for everyone and a lot of us had PTSD about the
9/11 attacks on America in 2001.
We are very thankful for such great Cabinet Members that President Trump has put together
to come together when there are crisis and emergency moments such as this and that Mullin
and Duffy were able to do a press conference and calm the fears and come up with solutions.
Please help Congress be able to vote for the money they need for the FAA to build better
Air Traffic Control Towers, put in new equipment and communication systems. I ask that
all of the stranded people who are spending the night at Airports are safe, have enough food
and water and are able to get to their destination today and find their luggage. I am so
amazed that a lot of people that were interviewed were calm and peaceful and knew that
this whole thing was way out of their hands.
I am thankful that this ground stop saved thousands of lives and it had to be done to protect all of the people who were flying. Help the people who are trying to get home or to a certain destination and that they have the peace of God and the fruits of the Spirit.
In Jesus Name,
Amen and Amen.
Safety First. Right decision. We need the right equipment and the right people. Investing in infrastructure is a must. It is also necessary to ensure that people working for the FAA are loyal Americans. This is no job for invaders and underminers. No job for people who also belong to communist groups or muslim brotherhood. Just as invaders got their voting orders for the midterms from middle eastern sources, so will other vocational groups present in America get their real marching orders from abroad. Vetting and investing are both a cornerstone of preparedness.