FAA Orders Unprecedented Nationwide Ground Stop Across ALL U.S. Airports

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has ordered a nationwide ground stop affecting flights at Airports across the United States, following widespread communications problems involving the country’s air traffic control system.

The extraordinary directive, issued this afternoon (Friday 13th November, 2026), has halted aircraft departures nationwide while aviation technicians investigate the disruption, which officials say is affecting multiple Air Route Traffic Control Centers.

The FAA cited “extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety” in issuing the order. The disruption has raised immediate concerns about flight delays, cancellations and the potential impact on thousands of passengers travelling within, into and out of the United States.

What Happened?

According to initial reports, the communications problems affected multiple Air Route Traffic Control Centers, which are responsible for managing aircraft travelling between Airports, particularly at cruising altitudes.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed that the communications issue was affecting all twenty-two (22) Air Route Traffic Control Centers across the country.

The FAA subsequently ordered a nationwide ground stop, preventing aircraft from departing U.S. Airports until further notice.

Importantly, the order does not mean that aircraft already in the air were immediately instructed to land. Flights that had already departed were permitted to continue under established air traffic control procedures, although some aircraft were expected to be diverted.

International departures were also being handled on a case-by-case basis.

What Officials Are Saying

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed the disruption in a statement posted on X, explaining that the ground stop was necessary because of a communications issue affecting all Air Route Traffic Control Centers.

He also said FAA technicians were investigating the problem.

The @FAAnews issued a nationwide ground stop for all U.S. airports following a communication issue impacting all Air Route Traffic Control Centers. FAA technicians are investigating the issue. We will provide immediate updates as we have them.

— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) November 13, 2026

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin subsequently addressed concerns about the possibility of a cyberattack, saying that investigators had not identified evidence of a deliberate attack.

“It’s just a telecommunications outage as of now,” Mullin told reporters.

He also sought to reassure the public, stating: “This isn’t another 9/11. I cannot repeat that enough.”

Mullin stressed that the Government would investigate the underlying cause of the disruption, adding that cybersecurity considerations would be part of that assessment.

Was This A Cyberattack?

At this stage, authorities have not established the cause of the telecommunications failure.

Mullin said investigators were considering the possibility of malicious interference as part of their broader investigation, but there was no indication at the time of his briefing that the incident was a deliberate attack.

The disruption also occurred a day after a major Microsoft outage. However, officials said the two (2) incidents were not connected.

Investigators were also expected to examine whether recently introduced artificial intelligence technology used in aviation operations played any role. No connection had been established.

How Many Flights Are Affected?

The disruption has the potential to affect thousands of flights across the United States.

Flightradar24 reported that approximately 3,100 aircraft were already airborne and heading towards U.S. Airports when the nationwide ground stop was imposed.

Airlines and Airports began dealing with delays, cancellations and operational disruptions as aircraft were held at departure Airports.

The situation also affected international travel. Flights departing from other countries for the United States could face disruptions, while international departures from U.S. Airports were subject to individual handling.

Passengers were being advised to contact their airlines for the latest information about their flights.

How Long Will The Ground Stop Last?

There was initially no confirmed timeline for the resumption of normal operations.

The Associated Press subsequently reported that the ground stop was scheduled to remain in effect until at least 11:00 PM Eastern Time on Friday, although that does not necessarily mean all flights would resume immediately at that time.

Even after the restriction is lifted, passengers could experience continuing delays as airlines work to reposition aircraft, accommodate stranded passengers and restore their normal schedules.

Has This Happened Before?

Nationwide ground stops are extremely rare.

The last comparable nationwide suspension of departing flights occurred on 11th January, 2023, when an FAA computer system supporting its Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) service malfunctioned.

That outage prevented pilots from accessing important pre-flight safety information and resulted in thousands of delayed flights.

The FAA subsequently resumed operations after less than two (2) hours.

Today’s incident is another nationwide disruption, but its underlying cause is different: communications problems affecting Air Traffic Control Centres rather than the NOTAM system.

What Happens Next?

FAA technicians are continuing to investigate the telecommunications failure, while federal authorities work to establish precisely what went wrong.

The incident has also renewed questions about the reliability of America’s ageing air traffic control infrastructure. Congress approved US $12.5 billion last year towards modernizing the system, but Transportation Secretary Duffy has indicated that substantially more funding will be required to complete the overhaul.

For passengers, the immediate priority is checking directly with airlines before travelling to Airports, as flight schedules may remain disrupted even after the nationwide restriction is lifted.

The precise cause of the communications failure, the full extent of the disruption and the timeline for a complete return to normal operations have yet to be established.

More on this as it becomes available.

This is a developing story - refresh this page for updates.

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