US lifts ground stop after thousands of flights halted

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has lifted a US wide ground stop of flights after all departing flights on Friday were halted "due to extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety".FAA warned that it would take time for operations to return to normal. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy blamed an out of date system for the the ground stop of all flights across the country after it was lifted following a major communications outage. 'It's the old hardware that went down,' Duffy said in a press briefing at the White House. 'I think the question for the American people is, do you want your Congress to fund this? President Trump has asked for the money,' Duffy added.

JUST IN: Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announces U.S. airspace has reopened as of 8:15 p.m. ET after a nationwide ground stop leaves travelers stranded. Officials have identified the problem and restored air traffic control operations, but Duffy warns delays will continue. “It’s going to be slow,” he says, urging passengers to check with their airlines as carriers work to get flights back on schedule.

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Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said there was "no indication as of yet" that anything "nefarious" was behind the ground stop, but that it was a telecommunications outage. The system needs funding for a complete overhaul, he said, estimating a $50 billion price tag. 
Over 15,000 flights have been delayed and another 5,000 have already been cancelled. The Air Traffic Control System Command Center (ATCSCC) said at 3.54pm ET that the reason for the immediate halting of US flights was: 'Due to extraordinary circumstances for safety reasons.'The FAA said: 'There has been a temporary telecommunications outage - out of an abundance of caution, all flights have been halted. Every flight has been accounted for, and international flights will be handled on a case-by-case basis.' The halt triggered immediate chaos and confusion for travelers, with departure boards at many airports showing flights were operating normally, even as customers were unable to board planes.