MEM, FedEx issue statements following national ground stoppage

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - The Frederick W. Smith International Airport (MEM), along with FedEx, has issued a statement following a nationwide ground stoppage of air travel.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grounded all flights nationwide Friday afternoon, including those at MEM, because of communications problems at regional air traffic control centers.

As of 5:40 p.m. Friday, MEM is starting to show several flight cancellations on its website.

Airport officials say passengers scheduled to travel should check directly with their airline via its designated mobile app or website for the latest flight updates before coming to the airport.

The groundstop has also halted FedEx’s commercial flights. Anyone expecting shipments can check their status at fedex.com.

“We are monitoring the ground stop issued by the Federal Aviation Administration. We are prepared to activate contingency plans to minimize service disruptions and will resume normal flight operations as soon as the FAA permits. Customers can monitor the status of their shipments on fedex.com.”

FedEx Media Relations

This is the first nationwide ground stop since January 2023, when a key FAA computer system malfunctioned.

Before that, the last time had been after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

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