FAA Grounds Flights At NJ Airports Under Rare 'Extraordinary Circumstances' Order

The Federal Aviation Administration grounded all flights across the country late on Friday afternoon “due to extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety," the agency said.

The order was issued "following communication issues" impacting regional air traffic control centers that direct planes among airports, the agency said in a statement.

The order was only the second ground stop since one was issued after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, according to Reuters. A brief, two-hour ground stop was issued in 2023.

The FAA is investigating. They have not said how long the ground stop will remain in place.

At Newark Airport, their list of departures merely said "Data currently unavailable."

A man who said he was at Teterboro Airport posted on social media that his pilot had said all flights were grounded and "Can’t get ground to air communication."

Patch will update this breaking story when more information is available.