Microsoft says 'no indication' US nationwide flight ground stop linked to its services

Microsoft said Friday it had "no indication" that a nationwide flight ground stop in the US was linked to any of its services.

"We have no indication that the FAA's nationwide ground stop is related to any Microsoft services," the company said on US social media platform X.

The statement came after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) halted flights across the US following a telecommunications outage affecting Air Route Traffic Control Centers.

Microsoft was also dealing with a separate worldwide outage affecting its email and other online services.

The company attributed that disruption to several servers unexpectedly going offline, placing additional strain on the remaining systems.

The FAA said it imposed the nationwide ground stop as a precautionary measure and confirmed that every flight had been accounted for.

The agency said international flights would be handled on a case-by-case basis.

US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said FAA technicians were investigating the "communication issue" and that further updates would be provided as information became available.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin also told reporters that he saw no reason to believe the nationwide ground stop was connected to Microsoft's service outage.