American Airlines requested a nationwide ground stop, which was later canceled, on the morning of Christmas Eve due to technical problems.

The airline announced a technical issue "with all American Airlines flights" - but the authorities say a national "groundstop" has now been lifted.

American Airlines grounded all of its flights across the US for an hour on Tuesday, saying it was experiencing technical issues as airlines gear up for the Christmas travel rush. The Federal Aviation Administration said in an advisory statement early on Tuesday morning that the airline's flights across the US were grounded.