American Airlines resumed some flights Friday evening following the FAA’s nationwide ground stop, saying it would prioritize flights to non-hub cities and international destinations.

“With the FAA’s five-hour nationwide ground stop lifted, American Airlines is focused on operating as many remaining flights as possible this evening while positioning the airline for the strongest possible recovery tomorrow and in the days ahead,” the airline said in a statement.

American Airlines said it was “prioritizing flights to non-hub cities, as well as international flying, to position aircraft and crew where they are needed to help restore our operation.”

“We expect residual delays and cancellations tonight and into tomorrow following the FAA’s nationwide ground stop,” the airline said.

The airline encouraged customers to check their flight status before heading to the airport.

American Airlines also said impacted passengers could request refunds.

Southwest Airlines announced shortly before 11 p.m. ET Friday that it was resuming a limited number of flights for the remainder of the evening.

“After consulting with the FAA and to ensure the highest levels of safety, Southwest Airlines is resuming a limited number of flights this evening,” the airline said in a statement.

“These actions will help position our operation for Saturday morning, with schedules adjusted based on the location and availability of our Crews and our aircraft,” the statement continued.

The airline announced a travel waiver allowing passengers to cancel or rebook their flights without paying fees.

“We remain in contact with the FAA and will continue to adjust our plans as needed,” Southwest added. “Nothing is more important to Southwest than the Safety of our Customers and Employees.”

The announcement followed the FAA’s decision to lift its nationwide ground stop earlier Friday evening.

Rep. Nick Langworthy, R-N.Y., chairman of the Aviation Safety Caucus, said Friday’s nationwide ground stop underscored the need to modernize the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) aging infrastructure.

“This latest disruption underscores why we can no longer afford to put that work off. Modernizing our air traffic control system comes at a significant cost, but the cost of continued failure is far too high,” Langworthy said in a statement.

“While I am relieved by reports that public safety was not compromised, the disruption caused enormous inconvenience, stress for travelers and their families, and a yet-to be-determined economic impact,” he continued. “Americans deserve a system they can depend on.”

Following the lifting of the ground stop Friday evening, Langworthy called for “full transparency” from the FAA regarding what caused the shutdown, saying the public “deserves answers and a clear plan to prevent this from happening again.”

Securing additional funding to modernize the system should not be a partisan issue, Langworthy argued.

“Congress must come together to make that funding a reality and ensure our air traffic control system has the modern equipment and reliable backup systems it needs,” he said, adding that Americans “cannot afford continued delays in getting this done.”

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Friday that lingering flight disruptions from the nationwide FAA ground stop prevented it from sending a board member by plane to investigate a collision between a tanker and a river cruise vessel in New Orleans.

The NTSB said earlier Friday that it was dispatching a team of investigators to examine the collision, with personnel initially expected to arrive Saturday morning.

Despite the FAA lifting its nationwide ground stop Friday evening, the NTSB said it would no longer send a board member by plane.

“Due to the residual delays from the nationwide ground stop, the NTSB will no longer send a board member and will instead send a team of investigators by ground to the scene of the vessel collision in New Orleans,” the agency wrote on X.

Several airlines have warned that disruptions could continue as they work to restore normal operations.

United Airlines announced shortly before 10 p.m. ET Friday that it was resuming some flight operations after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) lifted its nationwide ground stop.

“United is resuming operations, including some Friday night flights,” the airline said in a statement.

“Safety is our highest priority as we take care of our customers and employees,” the statement continued. “Thank you for your patience as we work to restore our full schedule.”

The airline urged passengers to check their flight status before heading to the airport.

United also said passengers could rebook their flights without paying change fees or fare differences.

Fox News anchor and longtime pilot Jon Scott warned Friday that it could take several days for U.S. air travel to return to normal following the nationwide FAA ground stop.

“The good news is this ground stop has been lifted. The bad news is it’s not going to be fixed tomorrow,” Scott said during an appearance on “Hannity.”

Scott, who said he has been a pilot for more than 30 years, explained that displaced aircraft, pilot scheduling restrictions and aging air traffic control technology could prolong disruptions.

“It’s going to take probably at least three days to get the air traffic control system back online,” Scott said.

Pilots who were diverted or delayed may reach federally mandated duty limits, preventing them from immediately operating additional flights, Scott added.

Scott also noted that aircraft technology has advanced much faster than the nation’s air traffic control infrastructure, saying some control towers still use floppy disks.

He said the shutdown highlighted how outdated the nation’s air traffic control system has become.

“The aircraft have advanced much faster than the air traffic control system,” Scott said.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said Friday evening that it had thoroughly tested its systems before lifting the nationwide ground stop.

“The safety of the flying public is always the FAA’s highest priority,” the agency said in a statement.

“The FAA lifted the ground stop and some flight departures are resuming,” the statement continued. “Before clearing flights to resume, we thoroughly tested our systems to confirm they were stable and that operations remain reliable.”

The FAA urged passengers to contact their airlines for flight updates.

The agency lifted the nationwide ground stop at 8:15 p.m. ET Friday, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced.

Duffy said radar and communications systems began experiencing instability at FAA facilities across the country at 3:36 p.m. ET, prompting the agency to halt departures out of an abundance of caution.

Mexico’s Federal Civil Aviation Agency (AFAC) announced Friday that flights to the United States are resuming following the FAA’s decision to lift its nationwide ground stop.

In a statement posted on X, the agency said the FAA notified Mexican authorities at 7:44 p.m. local time that U.S. air operations had resumed.

AFAC said flights from Mexico to U.S. destinations are expected to resume gradually over the coming hours.

Airlines will notify passengers of updated departure times, while Mexican airports remain prepared to receive aircraft arriving from the United States, the agency said.