A nationwide ground stop was in place for about an hour for all American Airlines flights on Christmas Eve morning.
“American Airlines reported a technical issue this morning and requested a nationwide ground stop. The ground stop has now been lifted,” the Federal Aviation Administration stated following the disruption Tuesday morning.
The FAA issued the ground stop just before 4 a.m. at the request of American Airlines.
“We’re currently experiencing a technical issue with all American Airlines flights. Your safety is our utmost priority, once this is rectified, we’ll have you safely on your way to your destination,” American Airlines initially posted on X in response to a passenger whose plane from St. Louis to Miami was delayed.
When the disruptions were first reported, it was unclear how long the ground stop would be in place.
“Our team is currently working to get this done. An estimated timeframe has not been provided, but they’re trying to fix it in the shortest possible time,” a second reply to the passenger stated.
American Airlines has not provided details about the technical issue that prompted the stop.
The groundings couldn’t come at a worse time for the millions of travelers expected to fly over the next 10 days. The Transportation Security Administration expects to screen 40 million passengers over the holidays and through Jan. 2.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
