BRUSSELS, Nov. 14 (Xinhua) -- Eurocontrol said on Friday that all flights departing from its member states for U.S. airports were suspended at the request of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) due to technical issues.
The suspension covers departures between 2200 GMT on Friday and 0500 GMT on Saturday, the European air traffic management agency said in a notice posted at 2303 GMT.
Eurocontrol's Network Manager Operations Center in Brussels said it was closely monitoring the situation and would provide updates.
Eurocontrol is an intergovernmental organization with 42 member states, including Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Türkiye, that supports air traffic management across Europe.
The FAA issued a nationwide ground stop earlier Friday following a "communication issue impacting all Air Route Traffic Control Centers," U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said.
"FAA technicians are investigating the issue," Duffy wrote in a post on the social media platform X.
U.S. media reported that the FAA had issued an advisory citing "extraordinary circumstances" and "reasons of safety" as grounds for the nationwide ground stop, describing it as a rare move.
"All departing traffic should remain ground stopped until further notice," the advisory said. "Inbound international flights will be managed on a case by case basis." ■
