FAA Nationwide Ground Stop: All US Flights Grounded After Air Traffic Control Communications Outage

Illustrative image: the departure hall at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), where flights were grounded. Image: Wikimedia Commons / 颐园居, CC BY-SA 4.0

UPDATE — 7:45 a.m. IST, Saturday 14 November 2026: The FAA has now formally cancelled the nationwide ground stop. The stop was lifted at about 8:30 p.m. ET on Friday after roughly four hours, and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said US airspace was "opened up", blaming "old hardware" for the communications failure. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin confirmed there was no cyberattack and no connection to the Microsoft outage, and the FBI likewise does not believe it was a cyberattack. The final toll: more than 11,000 flights delayed or cancelled, including over 1,000 cancellations, and at least 600 flights diverted, according to FlightAware and Cirium. The disruption began at 3:36 p.m. ET when radar and communications systems at air traffic control centres and TRACON facilities across the country became unstable. This supersedes our earlier note that no formal 'lifted' announcement had been issued.

UPDATE — 6:45 a.m. IST, Saturday 14 November 2026: The disruption kept growing after our last update. FlightAware data cited by The Wall Street Journal put cancellations at more than 3,300 and delays at more than 10,200 as of 6:40 p.m. ET on Friday — over 13,000 flights delayed or cancelled in total — and airlines had already scrubbed more than 300 Saturday flights. On the cause, CNN reports the FAA told airlines a network router problem was behind the outage, believed to have started at Chicago Midway Airport; The Wall Street Journal reports, citing people briefed on the matter, that the outage appears to be affecting a telecommunications network overseen by L3Harris Technologies. The FAA itself has still not publicly confirmed a cause, and no formal 'lifted' announcement has been issued; ground delay programmes remain in place at several airports and totals are still rising.

UPDATE — 14 November 2026, 6:30 a.m. IST: The nationwide ground stop has ended in stages. The FAA's Advisory 120, issued at 5:46 p.m. ET on Friday, said departures would be released as en-route centres recovered, and by 6:55 p.m. ET the nationwide stop was no longer listed on the FAA's National Airspace System status board. More than 10,200 flights were delayed and more than 3,300 cancelled — over 13,000 flights hit in total — according to FlightAware, as of 6:40 p.m. ET Friday. CBS News, citing multiple sources, reports the outage may have been caused by an update to the private communications network linking the air traffic control centres, which caused the system to reboot and crash — the FAA has not formally confirmed the cause. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said there was no indication of a nefarious act, and the FBI does not believe it was a cyberattack. Ground delay programmes remain in place at several airports, and the FAA has not issued a single formal "lifted" announcement; its next update is due at 11 p.m. ET (9:30 a.m. IST).

TL;DR — The US Federal Aviation Administration grounded every departing flight in the country on Friday 13 November 2026 after a communications failure hit all 22 air traffic control centres. More than 10,200 flights were delayed and more than 3,300 cancelled — over 13,000 flights hit in total (as of 6:40 p.m. ET Friday) in the first nationwide ground stop since January 2023. Officials say there is no indication of a cyberattack, and departures have resumed in stages — the nationwide stop is no longer listed on the FAA's status board — but delays will ripple through the weekend.

📌 KEY HIGHLIGHTS

• The FAA issued a nationwide ground stop at 3:54 p.m. ET on Friday 13 November 2026 (2:24 a.m. IST, Saturday 14 November) — every departing flight at every US airport was ordered to stay on the ground until further notice.
• The cause is a communications failure — the FAA called it a temporary telecommunications outage — affecting all 22 Air Route Traffic Control Centers, which guide aircraft between airports.
• More than 10,200 flights were delayed and more than 3,300 cancelled — over 13,000 flights hit in total (FlightAware, as of 6:40 p.m. ET Friday). Flights already in the air were allowed to land; inbound international flights are handled case by case.
• First nationwide ground stop since 11 January 2023, and only the second since the September 11, 2001 attacks.
• Officials say there is no indication of a cyberattack. The FAA released departures in stages from 5:46 p.m. ET and the nationwide stop was no longer listed on its status board by 6:55 p.m. ET, though it has issued no single formal "lifted" announcement.

What happened?

On Friday afternoon in the United States, the Federal Aviation Administration ordered all departing flights nationwide to remain on the ground. The FAA's advisory said the ground stop was imposed "due to extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety" after a communication issue hit all Air Route Traffic Control Centers — the 22 regional facilities that manage aircraft flying between airports.

Shortly before the nationwide order, the FAA had already halted traffic in Chicago over the same communications issues. Every flight had been accounted for, the agency said, and international flights would be handled case by case. Planes already airborne were not ordered down. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said "FAA technicians are investigating the issue," and the agency said flights would be allowed to depart once the control centers recover, coordinated through its Command Center.

What we know so far

Detail	What is confirmed
Ground stop issued	3:54 p.m. ET, Friday 13 November 2026 (2:24 a.m. IST, 14 November)
Scope	All departing flights at all US airports, until further notice
Cause	Communications failure / temporary telecommunications outage at all 22 Air Route Traffic Control Centers; CBS News reports the outage may have been triggered by a network update that caused the system to reboot and crash (FAA has not confirmed the cause)
Flights affected	More than 10,200 delayed and more than 3,300 cancelled — over 13,000 flights hit in total (FlightAware, as of 6:40 p.m. ET Friday)
Flights in the air	Allowed to continue and land; inbound international flights handled case by case
Cyberattack?	No indication of a cyberattack or malicious activity, officials say; investigation ongoing
Status now	Nationwide stop lifted in stages from 5:46 p.m. ET; no longer listed on the FAA status board by 6:55 p.m. ET; ground delay programmes remain at some airports; next FAA update due 11 p.m. ET (9:30 a.m. IST)
Last comparable event	11 January 2023 ground stop (NOTAM system failure); only the second since 9/11

Illustrative image: departure gates at a US airport. Image: Wikimedia Commons / Sdkb, CC BY-SA 4.0

Why it matters for USA readers

A nationwide ground stop is one of the rarest orders in American aviation — the FAA has only done this twice since 9/11. Because it hits every US airport at once, delays cascade: aircraft and crews end up in the wrong cities, and weekend schedules take days to untangle even after departures restart. It is also the latest sign of strain on the US air traffic control system, which Reuters notes has been beset by equipment failures, communications problems and controller shortages while the FAA tries to replace ageing infrastructure.

For India readers with US travel plans, the impact is direct: US-bound flights have been delayed and held, and international arrivals are being managed case by case — check with your airline before leaving for the airport.

Should you care?

✅ Yes — if you are flying to, from or within the US this weekend. The ground stop has been lifted in stages and departures are resuming, but delays and cancellations will ripple through the weekend. Monitor your airline's app for rebooking options rather than waiting at the airport.

What to do if you are flying

• Check your flight status first on your airline's app or website before travelling to the airport — many airlines are rebooking automatically.
• Do not assume a departure time until the airline confirms it; the FAA is releasing traffic in stages as each control centre recovers, so some routes will restart before others.
• Keep your booking flexible: ask about free rebooking or refunds if your flight is cancelled, and keep receipts for any expenses caused by the disruption.
• Watch the next FAA update, due at 11 p.m. ET on Friday (9:30 a.m. IST, Saturday), for the latest on the restart.

FAQs

Why did the FAA ground all flights in the US?
A communications failure hit all 22 Air Route Traffic Control Centers, which guide aircraft between airports. With controllers unable to communicate reliably, the FAA halted all departures "due to extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety" while technicians investigate. CBS News, citing multiple sources, reports the outage may have been triggered by an update to the private communications network linking the control centres, which caused the system to reboot and crash; the FAA has not formally confirmed the cause.

Is the FAA ground stop caused by a cyberattack?
Officials say there is no indication of a cyberattack or malicious activity. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin called it a telecommunications outage, and the FBI does not believe it was caused by a cyberattack or criminality. The investigation into the exact cause is ongoing.

When will flights resume?
Departures resumed in stages from 5:46 p.m. ET on Friday as control centres recovered, and by 6:55 p.m. ET the nationwide stop was no longer listed on the FAA's status board. Ground delay programmes remain at some airports, and the FAA's next update is due at 11 p.m. ET (9:30 a.m. IST).

What happens to flights already in the air, and to international flights?
Flights already airborne were allowed to continue and land normally. Inbound international flights are handled case by case, and US-bound flights have been delayed and held — check with your airline for your flight's status.

Takeaway: A communications failure at America's air traffic control centres grounded every departing US flight on 13 November 2026 — only the second nationwide ground stop since 9/11. Departures have resumed in stages, but with delays and cancellations rippling through the weekend, check your flight status before heading to the airport.

Check your flight status on your airline's app, and follow the FAA's official advisories for the next update on the restart.

Sources

• Reuters — FAA grounds flights nationwide after air traffic control communications outage
• Channel News Asia (AFP) — All departing US flights grounded due to communications problem
• Nikkei Asia — US grounds flights nationwide after air traffic control communications outage
• The Hindu BusinessLine — US grounds all flights nationwide after air traffic control communication outage
• The Economic Times — FAA ground stop nationwide: why all flights across the US were grounded
• Times Now — America's skies brought to a halt: flights grounded nationwide in rare emergency since 9/11
• Apna News — FAA nationwide ground stop halts US flights, disrupts Canada travel
• The Old Hickory Citizen — FAA confirms nationwide ground stop over air traffic communication issues
• The Wall Street Journal — More than 13,000 flights delayed or canceled in FAA's nationwide groundstop; totals and L3Harris network
• CNN — FAA told airlines a network router problem caused the outage, believed to have started at Chicago Midway Airport