Nationwide FAA Flight Ground Stop Linked to Telecommunications Outage, With No Signs of a Nefarious Attack, Officials Say
FAA technicians are investigating a telecommunications outage that delayed or canceled nearly 7,000 flights, officials said.
- 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.
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FAA Issues Nationwide Ground Stop After Communications Outage Disrupts Flights - Victor Valley News
A nationwide FAA ground stop halted departing flights across the United States on Friday after a communications outage affected air traffic control operations. Ontario International Airport said flights already in the air were being cleared to land at ONT, but no new flights were taking off. Read more at VVNG.com #Ontario #VVNG #News
U.S. flight shutdown impacting sports world - NTV: Newfoundland and Labrador's Most Trusted News Source
The nationwide grounding of flights across the United States has thrown the sports world into chaos, leaving NBA and NHL teams stranded and raising questions about whether NFL teams will be able to reach their destinations for this weekend’s games. Several teams were also facing travel uncertainty, while the NHL had 14 games scheduled for Saturday. The San Jose Sharks were among the teams left waiting to travel to Utah, while the Florida Panther…
Sports media world reacts to nationwide ground stop disrupting college football schedule
On Friday afternoon, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) declared a nationwide ground stop. The only other nationwide ground stops in recent U.S. history came on Sept. 11, 2001 and in January 2023. As of this writing, The New York Times is reporting more than 3,000 canceled flights, and CNN reported that government officials have “no…
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