3 days ago 6

FAA lifts 'national groundstop' of American Airlines flights after technical issue

American Airlines flight services have resumed across the United States after they were temporarily grounded due to a technical issue impacting the airline's entire system.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has announced that a 'nationwide groundstop' of all American Airlines flights has been cancelled.

Earlier, the FAA reported a technical issue affecting the carrier's entire system.

Reports from passengers at the airport suggest the problem has been resolved and the system is running again.

However, delays are still expected after the hour-long outage with flight tracker Flightradar24 posting on X that "it will take some time for flights to get back to normal".

American Airlines flights to Europe temporarily grounded

The temporary disruption came as millions of people are travelling for the holiday season.

American Airlines flies to 15 countries in Europe with destinations including the UK, France, Germany and Italy.

In social media replies to frustrated travellers, the airline said: “Our team is currently working to rectify this. Your continued patience is appreciated.”

The company has not issued a press release explaining the issue and an email was not immediately returned.

The FAA's website confirmed that American Airlines requested a 'nationwide groundstop' for its flights, including those operated by its subsidiary airlines.

The timing of the grounding comes at a critical period, as the holiday season is one of the busiest travel periods.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) estimates it will screen 40 million passengers during the holidays, which run until 2 January.

This is a developing story and our journalists are working on further updates.