Nationwide FAA Flight Ground Stop Linked to Telecommunications Outage, With No Signs of a Nefarious Attack, Officials Say
- On Friday, November 13, 2026, the Federal Aviation Administration issued a nationwide ground stop for all U.S. departures, citing "extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety" after a telecommunications outage disrupted air traffic control systems.
- Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed the order followed a "communication issue impacting all Air Route Traffic Control Centers," affecting the 22 regional centers that manage U.S. airspace and marking only the second nationwide ground stop since the September 11, 2001, attacks.
- Flight tracking service FlightAware reported nearly 7,000 flights were delayed or cancelled, leaving thousands of passengers stranded in terminals nationwide as airlines paused departures. Aircraft already airborne were permitted to continue to their destinations.
- Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin told reporters there was "no indication yet that this was a nefarious attack against us," characterizing the outage as a "telecommunications outage" rather than a security threat.
- Investigators are probing potential links to the FAA's recent rollout of the $875 million "SMART" artificial intelligence system, while the administration has requested an additional $30 billion from Congress to modernize aging air traffic control infrastructure.
1211 Articles
1211 Articles
FAA equipment outage halts departures at airports across the country, including Charlotte Douglas
The Federal Aviation Administration has issued a nationwide ground stop at all U.S. airports, including Charlotte Douglas International Airport, because of an equipment outage affecting air traffic control operations.
FAA's nationwide ground stop causes confusion, delays at LAX: 'Complete pandemonium'
The Federal Aviation Administration issued a nationwide ground stop on Friday due to “extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety,” A major outage is impacting air traffic control systems, the FAA said, and the extraordinary move has halted all flight departures across the country, including at Los Angeles International Airport. A ground stop means departing [...]
CLG: FAA orders rare nationwide ground stop at all U.S. airports due to ‘extraordinary circumstances’
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