COLUMBIA, S.C. — Travelers at Columbia Metropolitan Airport in Columbia, South Carolina, spent much of Friday waiting after the Federal Aviation Administration stopped every domestic departure in the country. The agency acted in the afternoon because of communications trouble at regional air traffic control centers.
Airport spokesperson Kim Crafton said the order applied to planes still on the ramp or waiting to take off, while flights already in the air were allowed to finish their trips. She said the federal Department of Homeland Security saw no sign of a cyberattack and that every aircraft was accounted for. Crafton also noted that a halt this broad has happened only twice before, including after the Sept. 11 attacks.
Departures to Atlanta and Chicago and flights to Virginia were among those held at the Columbia terminal. The FAA cleared the airspace again at 8:15 p.m., and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced the reopening.
The stop rippled into Saturday’s football trip. The South Carolina team had left about an hour ahead of its usual schedule and learned of the groundings at its hotel in Arkansas. The marching band was not as lucky: its first flight landed, but the second was canceled, and those students and staff headed back to Columbia from Charlotte, the band said.
Airport officials say delays and cancellations may linger as airlines rebuild their schedules, so anyone flying this weekend should check flight status with the airline before driving to the airport.
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