WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) – Departures from Wilmington International Airport (ILM) were halted Friday, Nov. 13, as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) imposed a nationwide ground stop.
The airport was still accepting arriving flights, ILM Airport Director Jeff Bourk told WECT. Airlines were notifying passengers, and Bourk advised anyone with a flight to check with their airline.
The FAA said in a notice that it imposed the ground stop “due to extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety.”
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said a communications issue was affecting regional air traffic control centers that direct planes between airports nationwide. FAA technicians were investigating, he said.
The ground stop was the first nationwide since January 2023, when a key FAA computer system malfunctioned.
The last nationwide ground stop followed the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
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