WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued a nationwide ground stop for all Southwest Airlines flights due to equipment issues. The FAA reported that Southwest Airlines requested a pause in their departures. The airline experienced technology issues on Tuesday morning, leading to delays in almost 800 flights, which is roughly 14 percent of its schedule, according to flight tracking website FlightAware. This is significantly more than any other US carrier.
Southwest Airlines has referred to the issues as “intermittent technology issues” on their social media platforms. The company has apologized to its customers for any inconvenience and has stated that they hope to resolve the issue and resume operations as soon as possible.
“We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, but we’re hoping to get everyone going ASAP,” the airline wrote in another social media post.
Customers of Southwest Airlines have taken to social media to complain about their delayed flights. The FAA has not yet provided any further details regarding the nationwide ground stop, but it is expected that Southwest Airlines will continue to keep their customers updated on the situation.