The Federal Aviation Administration issued a nationwide ground stop on Friday afternoon, "due to extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety."

The Federal Aviation Administration issued a nationwide ground stop on Friday afternoon, “due to extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety.”

A ground stop halts flights at their departure point.

Inbound international flights will be managed on a case by case basis, the FAA said.

The FAA didn’t immediately comment further.

Nationwide ground stops are extremely rare. In January 2023, the FAA halted flights because of issues with a pilot alert system. Before that, traffic was halted nationwide after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.