The FAA lifted the nationwide ground stop on November 13, 2026, after a major communications failure disrupted U.S. air traffic control. The restriction temporarily prevented flights from departing from airports nationwide.
The Federal Aviation Administration restored departures at approximately 8:15 p.m. Eastern Time. However, airlines warned that delays and cancellations would continue as operations recovered.
FAA Nationwide Ground Stop Caused by Communications Failure
In an official statement, the FAA confirmed communications problems affecting multiple air traffic control centers.
The agency imposed the nationwide restriction as a safety precaution while technicians investigated the disruption.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced the nationwide ground stop after problems emerged across the air traffic control network.
Duffy later attributed the failure to aging telecommunications infrastructure and overloaded routers. The equipment reportedly began producing inconsistent information.
Thousands of Flights Delayed and Canceled
The disruption caused more than 10,000 flight delays and thousands of cancellations across the United States, according to flight-tracking reports.
Airborne aircraft were allowed to continue under air traffic control supervision. Airlines suspended departures while the nationwide restriction remained active.
Officials lifted the ground stop after testing the affected systems. They cautioned that restoring normal flight schedules would take additional time.
Officials Report No Evidence of Cyberattack
Homeland Security officials said the available evidence did not indicate a cyberattack. They also reported no connection to the separate Microsoft service outage.
The incident renewed concerns about aging U.S. aviation technology and the need for infrastructure upgrades.
Travelers can review the FAA’s latest air traffic advisories for operational restrictions and should check directly with airlines for flight updates.
Although the nationwide ground stop ended Friday evening, its effects continued into the following day’s travel schedules.
