The Federal Aviation Administration lifted its nationwide ground stop at about 7:30 p.m. Friday, ending the longest such halt since the September 11 attacks. While the advisory is now off, the fallout continues to affect Minnesota travelers.
Scope of the disruption
During the stop, more than 400 flights to and from Minneapolis‑St. Paul International Airport (MSP) were canceled on Friday, and an additional 120 flights were canceled Saturday. Nationally, 9,159 flights were canceled Friday, with the total rising to over 12,500 by Saturday morning.
Federal response
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced Saturday that planes are now taking off and “it is safe to fly.” He explained that a contractor, L3Harris, was performing routine maintenance at a remote FAA site, upgrading old copper lines to fiber. Officials have not yet determined whether the issue stemmed from an installation error or a faulty router.
FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford emphasized that there is “zero evidence” the problem was caused by any malicious act or artificial‑intelligence system. The agency will release a full root‑cause analysis once completed.
Local impact and advice
MSP typically handles about 99,000 passengers daily and averages nearly 800 takeoffs and landings each day. The sudden halt disrupted that flow, with pilots reporting they had “never seen this before.” The Metropolitan Airports Commission’s spokesperson, Jeff Lea, said the grounding was unprecedented in his six‑year tenure.
Delta, which carries roughly 71.5% of MSP passengers, is expected to feel the brunt of the cancellations, followed by Sun Country at 11%. Connections through Chicago’s O’Hare and Midway airports were also affected, as those hubs were under ground stops before the nationwide order.
Travelers planning to fly this weekend are urged to check with their airlines before heading to the airport and to pack extra patience. The FAA expects airline schedules to return to normal by the end of Sunday, but delays may persist as aircraft and crews are repositioned.
College football side note
The University of Minnesota Gophers football team, stranded on their plane Friday, finally departed MSP Saturday morning and are slated to arrive in State College before the night kickoff against Penn State.
Creative workarounds
One Duluth couple, stuck at MSP, arranged a ride with strangers to Denver so they would not miss a concert, illustrating the lengths travelers are going to mitigate the disruption.
As the situation evolves, the FAA will continue to coordinate departures in waves from its command center in Virginia. Travelers should stay informed through airline updates and FlightAware for the latest status.
Original reporting: News Talk 1340 KROC-AM – News and Talk – Rochester News Radio — read the source article.
