American Airlines has had to groundall flights to the UK sparking travel chaos.

Christmas Eve flights have been thrown into doubt with thousands of passengers hoping to get home for Christmas stranded due to a technical issue.

“We’re currently experiencing a technical issue with all American Airlines flights,” a statement from the airline reads.

“Your safety is our utmost priority, once this is rectified, we’ll have you safely on your way to your destination. 

“Our team is working to get this rectified so that you can be safely on your way to your family. Your continued patience is appreciated.”

“We apologize to our customers for the inconvenience,” the airline added in a statement.

The airline has not provided additional details on the nature of the technical issue so far. 

The US Federal Aviation Administration has said there has been a “nationwide groundstop for American Airlines”.

The grounding order applies to all airports, according to the message.

Numerous passengers were posting on social media that their flights had been stuck on the runway at various airports and were now being sent back to the gate.

“An estimated timeframe has not been provided, but they’re trying to fix it in the shortest possible time,” the company said in a post on X, responding to a question from a stranded flyer.

American operates thousands of flights per day to more than 350 destinations in more than 60 countries.

The airline is expecting almost 12.7 million passengers on 118,000 flights during the winter holiday period, according to Forbes.

Express.co.uk has contacted American Airlines for comment. 

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