The extraordinary ground stop affects every U.S. airport. Aircraft already in the air may continue to land, while international arrivals are being assessed individually
This is a developing story and should be updated when the FAA identifies the cause or changes the ground-stop order.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 13, 2026 – International News Service — The Federal Aviation Administration halted flight departures across the United States on Friday after a communications problem disrupted air-traffic control centres responsible for managing aircraft between airports.
The nationwide ground stop took effect at approximately 3:54 p.m. Eastern time. The FAA ordered all departing aircraft to remain on the ground “until further notice,” citing “extraordinary circumstances” and safety concerns.
Aircraft already airborne were not ordered to land immediately. The FAA said inbound international flights would be managed individually, allowing controllers to consider whether each flight could enter U.S. airspace and land safely.
The disruption is expected to produce widespread delays and cancellations, even after departures resume. Aircraft and flight crews may be left out of position, while arriving planes could face gate shortages at airports where outbound flights have not departed.
Communications problem under investigation
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the problem was affecting the 22 Air Route Traffic Control Centers that manage aircraft during the en-route portion of flights.
These centres coordinate planes travelling through large sections of U.S. airspace, passing responsibility for each flight between controllers as it crosses the country. Their work is distinct from airport control towers, which principally manage aircraft close to airports and on runways.
FAA technicians were investigating the failure Friday afternoon. The agency had not identified its cause or provided a firm estimate for restoring normal operations as of 5:02 p.m. Eastern time.
Two law-enforcement officials told CNN that preliminary information did not indicate a cyberattack. That assessment remained preliminary, however, and the FAA had not publicly ruled out possible causes.
An FAA advisory listed an operational window extending to 11 p.m. Eastern time, but its instruction was for departures to remain stopped until further notice. That means the restriction could be lifted earlier or extended, depending on the investigation and the stability of restored communications.
An exceptionally rare order
Nationwide ground stops are highly unusual in the United States.
The previous one occurred on Jan. 11, 2023, after the FAA’s Notice to Air Missions system failed. That system distributes essential safety information to pilots, including runway closures, equipment outages and other potential hazards. The disruption delayed or cancelled thousands of flights before departures resumed.
Before 2023, the last nationwide halt was ordered during the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Unlike the response that day, Friday’s order did not require aircraft already flying to land immediately.
The latest failure is likely to renew scrutiny of the aging technology supporting the U.S. air-traffic control network. Congress approved $12.5 billion in 2025 to begin modernizing the system, including replacing copper wiring and older radio equipment. Duffy has said completing the overhaul will require another $30 billion.
Passengers scheduled to travel Friday evening or during the weekend should check directly with their airlines before going to an airport. Even a relatively short nationwide halt can create continuing disruptions as airlines reposition aircraft and crews and work through accumulated departures.
Sources: FAA air-traffic information, FAA ground-stop advisory
