FAA lifts nationwide ground stop after Denver airport sees hundreds of cancellations

The Federal Aviation Administration lifted a nationwide ground stop Friday night, ending a six-hour halt to departures that left thousands of travelers stranded at Denver International Airport. The agency resumed operations after testing its systems to confirm stability and reliability following a communications outage.

The disruption began Friday afternoon when a gap opened between 1:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Mountain Time, during which no flights took off from Denver. According to FlightAware, the airport recorded more than 450 canceled flights and over 600 delays on Friday. This marks the third time the FAA has issued a nationwide ground stop, and the first since 2023.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy attributed the stoppage to instability in the systems managing radar and communications at major traffic control facilities. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin stated during a Friday night briefing that the public was never in danger and that available information did not indicate a cyberattack caused the incident.

Passengers faced immediate changes to their travel plans. Piercen Sturdavant, who arrived from Tucson early Friday, had booked a connecting flight to LaGuardia Airport in New York. The ground stop forced him to wait until 11:59 p.m. Saturday for the next available departure, leaving him with a full day in Denver. "The next available flight [Saturday] was at 11:59 p.m.," Sturdavant said. "I’ve got the whole day in Denver. Maybe I'll explore a little bit."

Aviation expert Steve Cowell noted that airlines have limited spare capacity, meaning passengers from canceled flights may remain stuck for several days. "The airlines have been so good about managing capacity," Cowell told Denver7. "There's very few seats now, extra seats on any given airplane. So people from canceled flights may be stuck."

Denver International Airport extended dining, retail, and information booth hours on Friday night. The airport's customer service team plans to remain online until 2 a.m. Saturday. Passengers are advised to check with their airlines for status updates as operations gradually return to normal.

Renee Bailon, unable to reach Las Vegas on Friday, weighed options between rescheduling or canceling her trip. Michael Sykes, a United Ground Express employee also traveling to Orlando for Thanksgiving, expressed concern for the hundreds of passengers on the concourse who had to set up cots or book hotels at the last minute.