New Delhi, November 2026 : Air India on Saturday advised passengers travelling to and from the United States to check their latest flight status and plan their airport journeys accordingly, following widespread disruption to air traffic operations at several US airports.
The advisory came after a communication failure triggered a nationwide ground stop, temporarily halting departures across the United States. Although the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) subsequently lifted the restriction, airlines warned that flight delays and cancellations could continue as operations gradually returned to normal.
In a statement posted on X, Air India said a nationwide ground stop had been imposed across the US due to communication outages affecting air traffic operations. Consequently, departures from airports across the country were impacted, with possible knock-on disruptions to the airline's flights operating to and from the US.
"Our teams continue to closely monitor the situation and will share updates as available," the airline said, urging passengers to remain informed about changes to their travel schedules.
The disruption followed a communications failure affecting the US air traffic control network. The initial notice announcing the ground stop did not specify the precise cause of the failure or indicate when normal flight schedules would resume.
Earlier, the FAA's Air Traffic Control System Command Center said the ground stop remained in force across a large part of the country. However, some coastal air traffic facilities had managed to release international departures, indicating that limited operations were continuing.
American Airlines also announced that some flights from selected airports were beginning to receive clearance for departure. However, most departures remained suspended at the time, and the airline cautioned passengers about further delays and unavoidable cancellations.
The airline advised customers to check their flight status before leaving for the airport and consult its travel alert for information about available options. The advisory was issued before the FAA announced the lifting of the nationwide ground stop.
Meanwhile, US Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said authorities had taken precautionary measures following a telecommunications outage affecting the FAA.
"There is no indication as of yet that this was a nefarious attack," Mullin told reporters during an earlier briefing. However, his preliminary assessment did not completely rule out the possibility of a cyberattack.
With airlines working to restore normal schedules, passengers travelling between India and the US have been advised to stay in touch with their respective airlines and verify flight updates before commencing their journeys.
(Disclaimer :The content of this article is sourced from a news agency and has not been edited by the Mavericknews30 team.)
