Fire alarm at United Airlines HQ prompts nationwide ground stop

A fire alarm at United Airlines network operation center in Arlington sparked a nationwide ground stop for all United flights on Thursday.

Updated on: Jul 27, 2025, 24:38:44 IST

By Shamik Banerjee

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A fire alarm at United Airlines' network operation center Arlington Heights, Illinois sparked a nationwide ground stop for all United Airlines flights on Thursday.

United Airlines said in a statement that the alarm caused the staff at the network operation center to evacuate it and relocate briefly to a nearby facility. The employees then relocated back to the primary operation center, and the ground stop was lifted.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in an advisory that the ground stop was in effect for all airports owing to the fire alarm.

Announcement about the ground stop was made at airports and inside United Airline aircrafts, and passengers posted about it on social media. Here's a video of the announcement inside a United aircraft shared by a passenger on X:

In its statement, United Airlines added that no flights were diverted, and the United Express regional flights service was not affected.

"Due to a previous fire alarm at our operations center, flights may be temporarily delayed," United Airlines said in response to a post on X.

United is one of the largest airline operators in the US; as of summer 2025, it operates as many as 4,600 daily flights on peak travel days.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shamik Banerjee
Shamik is a journalist covering the United States for Hindustan Times. He has more than four years of experience reporting on US politics, sports, and major breaking stories across fast-moving cycles. He previously worked at Times Now and Sportskeeda, building strong newsroom instincts and digital storytelling skills. At HT.com, he focuses on day-to-day coverage of US political developments while also handling high-impact stories that demand speed, accuracy, clarity, and context under pressure. Shamik has extensive experience covering NFL game days over the past two years, coordinating live updates, analysis, and explainers. He is particularly drawn to large news moments such as US elections and the Super Bowl, where he thrives at the news desk working alongside the team. He holds degrees in Media Studies from Jamia Millia Islamia and English Literature from Jadavpur University. Before entering journalism, he briefly worked in digital marketing and political consultancy roles. Currently a Senior Content Producer at HT Digital, he is driven by curiosity, discipline, and a constant desire to explore new and obscure topics. Outside work, he enjoys reading, films, sports, and learning continuously.Read More

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