An abrupt shutdown of air travel, ordered across the United States this afternoon by the Federal Aviation Authority, was lifted shortly after 9.30pm Bermuda time after aircraft spent hours on the ground.

CNN earlier reported an announcement by the FAA that a “communications problem” had hit the country’s air route traffic control centres.

Authorities ordered a nationwide ground stop for all US airports, with the FAA ascribing it “to extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety”. It did not elaborate on the cause.

The Secretary of Homeland Security ruled out an attack on the US, with a department official blaming a “telecommunications issue”.

Officials tonight blamed the country’s antiquated air traffic control system.

The shutdown, which stranded travellers across the US, was expected to cause days of flight disruption.

The BBC reported just after 5.30pm that Flightradar24 online listed 3,100 flights in the air and bound for US airports. The service said the shutdown was not linked to software outages affecting Microsoft products.

LF Wade International Airport showed an American Airlines flight from Miami International Airport, listed for 10.11pm, as delayed. The causes were unclear.

The BBC quoted Canadian officials as saying the country’s flights were “operating normally”. A 10.15pm BermudAir flight departing Toronto remains listed as on time.

The stoppage was the first for the US since an incident in 2023 blamed on the pilot notification system going down. Previously, all US flights were grounded in the wake of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the country.