FAA Temporarily Grounds Flights Nationwide Following Air Traffic Control Communication Problems
- On Friday, November 13, 2026, the Federal Aviation Administration ordered a nationwide ground stop for all departing flights, citing 'extraordinary circumstances and reasons for safety' after communications problems disrupted Air Route Traffic Control Centers.
- Earlier Friday, the FAA halted departures at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport and Midway International Airport before expanding restrictions nationwide; enforcement sources reported the outage is not a cyberattack.
- Travelers across the Southeast faced widespread disruptions, with restrictions affecting major hubs like Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Orlando International Airport, and Miami International Airport, though aircraft already airborne were permitted to continue.
- Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stated the agency is providing 'immediate updates as we have them,' while reports indicate a union representing air traffic controllers had not tested the new technology beforehand.
- Marking only the second nationwide ground stop since September 11, 2001, the incident renewed focus on aviation infrastructure; Congress approved $12.5 billion in 2025 for upgrades while the FAA and White House requested another $30.1 billion.
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All flights grounded across the US as officials investigate issues with communications
Air travel across the United States has been thrown into chaos after aviation authorities ordered an extraordinary nationwide halt to all departing flights following what officials say is a major communications failure affecting air traffic control centres. The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued the ground stop shortly before 4 pm Eastern Time on Friday, […]
Zeit Online
MVY hit by nationwide flight grounding
In a rare instance that’s halted flights nationwide, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced a national grounding of airplanes on Friday afternoon. “There has been a temporary telecommunications outage — out of an abundance of caution all flights have been halted. Every flight has been accounted for and international flights will be handled on a case by case basis,” the FAA posted on X.
The U.S. Aviation Regulator (FAA) ordered all U.S. airports on Friday, 13 November, to stop all flights as a result of "communication problems" affecting several air traffic control centres. FAA stated that its technicians were at work to determine the cause of the problem. Two communications breakdowns had affected flights in Newark in 2025, one of the three major airports serving New York.
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