The FAA's nationwide ground stop does not amount to a blanket ban on flights already heading to the United States, according to the text of its advisory. The advisory says inbound international flights will be managed individually, Axios reports.
The advisory states: "Inbound international flights will be managed on a case by case basis." All departing traffic is to remain ground stopped until further notice.
The distinction matters for passengers on transatlantic services from the UK. Aircraft already bound for the US are not covered by the order grounding departures, and the advisory gives no detail on how individual inbound flights will be dealt with on arrival.
The advisory was posted at about 3.54pm ET on Friday 13 November, which is 8.54pm UK time. The Jerusalem Post and KFOX also report the case by case wording for international arrivals.
Earlier reports described the FAA as having grounded all flights at US airports. The advisory's own wording is narrower: it halts departures, while arrivals from abroad are being assessed one at a time.