SALT LAKE CITY — Passengers waiting to depart and arrive in Salt Lake City are experiencing the same delays seen nationwide after the Federal Aviation Administration ordered a ground stop for "extraordinary circumstances."
Watch live below as airports nationwide are shut down due to ground stop:
Friday afternoon, several planes were sitting on the tarmac at Salt Lake City International Airport after the order was announced. However, planes were still allowed to land.
An SLC Airport official said the facility is on emergency status and is working to get meals and accommodations for passengers currently stuck on aircraft.
"SLC is working with our concessionaires and other airport tenants to support passengers whose travel has been unexpectedly impacted," the airport said in a social media post.
When the order was issued, students from the Hillcrest High School Aviation Club were plane-spotting at the airport and immediately noticed something was off.
"There were like 6 planes waiting to take off. They were just all waiting at the end of the runway, and so we came over here, and we were like, 'Why aren't they taking off?' And then we get a notification saying that the entire airspace is shut down," said one student, "and it's honestly kind of weird cause it's really quiet."
The ground stop is also affecting planes and passengers looking to fly into Salt Lake City, and home for some. Resident Amy Tavss was on a plane at O'Hare Airport in Chicago, set to head home to northern Utah when the order came down.
"I was here for a business conference, and we're just gonna wait and see what happens," she said from the plane on the tarmac. "Hopefully, it doesn't take as long as it did last time this happened. Otherwise, I'll have to find a hotel."
The FAA said there is no timetable for air traffic to resume.
Provo Airport said 8 departures have been affected and that 40 percent of passengers are leaving or making other plans.