NO, it’s not a joke.  The Federal Aviation Administration has issued what’s called a “groundstop” for all airports across the US, including Tri-Cities Airport.

 What’s Behind It?

Officials have not specified details, but a possible communication issue between airports and towers along flight routes, they can’t talk to each other.

 This also Affects the Tri Cities Airport, Spokane, Sea-Tac Etc.

 The FAA has grounded all public, commercial and even private air travel, any flight that requires communication with a tower.   Towers talk to each other, and pass along information, like a row of traffic cones.  Controllers inform other towers about incoming flights or potential issues etc.

  Much Like Police and Law Enforcement, They Constantly Talk

Multiple sources, including the Tri-Cities Airport, report that ALL departing traffic has been grounded until the situation is dealt with.  These towers need to be in constant communication with each other, for example, LaGuardia in New York chatters with Boston and other cities about flights coming, potential aircraft issues etc.

What’s going on?

Nobody is spelling out details, but Fox News reports an Official said it was due to “extraordinary circumstances.”   Airplanes that are already in the air are being allowed to continue to their distinations, as opposed to having to land immediately.

The initial equipment indications and outages were first reported Friday at O’Hare and Midway Airfields in Chicago.

The last time a major ground stop occurred in the US was in 2023, due to a failure of a pilot notification system, which was fixed. Prior to that, the last nationwide groundstop was on 9-11.

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