Friday afternoon, the Federal Aviation Administration issued a nationwide ground stop that forced all departing flights at Manchester-Boston Regional Airport (MHT) to remain on the ground, citing an “extraordinary communications issue” that affected 22 regional air traffic control centers, according to WMUR.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, a member of the Trump administration, said FAA technicians were investigating the outage, which also impacted Boston Logan International Airport. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin added that there was no indication the incident was a “nefarious attack” and that investigators would also examine whether the FAA’s new artificial‑intelligence routing system played any role.
Manchester’s tower remained operational, but because other control centers were down, the airport could not authorize departures. Arriving flights were still permitted on a case‑by‑case basis. The airport’s director, Tom Malafronte, confirmed that MHT’s emergency team was active for hours and that the airport was back up and running later Friday night, though he warned that delays and cancellations could continue throughout the weekend.
Passengers experienced immediate disruptions. One traveler headed to Tampa reported that after boarding began, the flight was canceled. Another bound for Los Angeles said her flight was canceled, while a passenger traveling to Washington, D.C. chose to rent a car instead of waiting for a delayed departure. The airport advised all travelers to check with their airlines for the latest status.
Flight‑tracking data from the app Flighty indicated that more than 30,000 departures and arrivals were scheduled for the remainder of the day after the stop order was issued. Former Massport Director Tom Kinton noted that resolving the backlog could take days, as crews may time out and flights could be canceled during the peak travel period before Thanksgiving.
In response to the situation, the airport posted an online statement saying, “We appreciate your patience and will share updates as more information becomes available.” The FAA lifted the ground stop later Friday night, but Malafronte likened the recovery effort to reacting to a snowstorm, emphasizing the need to rebuild the system before normal operations resume.
What’s next: Airport officials expect continued delays and possible cancellations through the weekend. Travelers are urged to monitor airline communications, consider alternative transportation, and remain prepared for further schedule changes as the FAA works to fully restore the national air traffic control network.
Sources: wmur.com, wmur.com, concordmonitor.com
