American Airlines flying again after nationwide grounding

The airline confirmed to WORLD on Tuesday that the Federal Aviation Administration had lifted a nationwide ground stop on all its flights. A vendor’s technical issue prompted it to request the ground stop, which lasted about one hour, American Airlines said. The nationwide grounding occurred during one of the busiest days of the year for travel.

What did the FAA say? Agency records show that it imposed a nationwide ground stop on all American Airlines flights Tuesday morning, and canceled the ground stop shortly thereafter. The records explained that the airline itself requested the ground stop. It did not confirm whether a technical issue occurred.

Did the airline explain why its flights were grounded? The airline requested the ground stop on Tuesday morning after discovering the vendor technology issue, the company said. The technology issue impacted systems needed to release flights, American Airlines said. Its utmost priority was the safety of its passengers, the company said in a statement issued while the ground stop was in effect. Shortly after the ground stop was put in place, airline workers resolved the issue and flights resumed. The airline later said it apologized for all delays.

What is a ground stop? It is an airport or government directive that prevents certain flights from leaving the ground, according to the FAA. It is highly restrictive, and authorities should explore other ways to keep flights from taking off, the agency said.

Dig deeper: Read Lauren Canterberry’s report in The Sift from last month about how workers at a North Carolina airport went right before Thanksgiving.