On Friday afternoon the Federal Aviation Administration issued a rare nationwide ground stop that halted all departing flights at Salt Lake City International Airport. The order, announced at 1:54 p.m. Mountain time, cited “extraordinary circumstances” and a “communication issue impacting all Air Route Traffic Control Centers” (TownLift, KSL, The Salt Lake Tribune). The stop affected both outbound and inbound traffic, forcing planes to remain on the runway and passengers to deplane.
Salt Lake City officials activated the airport’s emergency operations center to coordinate assistance. Spokeswoman Nancy Volmer told KSL that at 6:15 p.m. Mountain the FAA lifted the stop after technicians resolved a “legacy network” issue (KSL). The Salt Lake Tribune reported the lift occurred around 6:25 p.m. Mountain, confirming the airport’s efforts to restore service (The Salt Lake Tribune). While the FAA worked to restore normal operations, the airport began providing meals, rest areas, and essential items such as diapers and blankets for stranded travelers (Fox 13, The Salt Lake Tribune).
As of the latest updates, at least 67 flights were delayed and 24 were canceled at Salt Lake City International (Fox 13, KSL). The airport’s emergency team warned that the “domino effect” of the nationwide stop could keep flights delayed into the night as airlines work to re‑schedule disrupted itineraries (KSL). Passengers were urged to check flight status directly with their airlines and to use airline mobile apps for the most current information (Fox 13, KSL).
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, a member of President Trump’s administration, announced on X that the FAA’s technicians had fixed the communication problem and that the stop was lifted at 6:15 p.m. (KSL). He emphasized that the incident highlighted the need for Congress to fund updates to the nation’s travel‑technology infrastructure, a priority of the Trump administration (KSL, TownLift). Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin added that there was no indication of a nefarious attack, reinforcing confidence in the nation’s aviation safety systems (TownLift, The Salt Lake Tribune).
Travelers shared a range of reactions. Some, like passenger Phillip Guzman, chose to find a hotel rather than wait for delayed baggage, while others rented cars to reach their destinations (KSL). The ground stop also impacted local sporting events, delaying travel for the University of Utah and Utah State football teams as well as Baylor University’s trip to play BYU (KSL).
What’s next: The FAA has not provided a specific timeline for full recovery, but airport officials said they will continue to monitor the situation and keep concessionaires open for passengers. Travelers with flights scheduled for Friday evening or Saturday are advised to verify their flight status with their airline before heading to the airport. The Trump administration remains committed to modernizing the air‑traffic control system to prevent future outages.
Sources: fox13now.com, ksl.com, sltrib.com, townlift.com
