Friday’s FAA order came a day after US transportation secretary Sean Duffy sought US$30.1 billion from Congress to modernise the country’s air traffic control system. (EPA Images pic)NEW YORK: US air regulators on Friday issued a rare nationwide ground stop for all departing flights citing a communications problem affecting air traffic control towers, in a move that caused immediate confusion for travelers.

The Federal Aviation Administration "issued a nationwide ground stop for all US airports following a communication issue impacting all Air Route Traffic Control Centers," the agency said. "FAA technicians are investigating the issue."

The FAA has announced similar orders in recent years on individual airlines due to communications issues, usually lasting a couple of hours or less. Systemwide groundings nationwide are far less common.