A temporary outage of radar and air traffic control systems at the Federal Aviation Administration’s Minneapolis air traffic control facility disrupted flights across the Midwest on August 7, 2026. The malfunction halted air traffic coordination over a 330,000-square-mile area, forcing flight groundings and diversions throughout the region.
Impacted States and Airports
The outage affected flights in nine states: Minnesota, Nebraska, Iowa, Michigan, Kansas, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport implemented a ground stop, halting departures and arrivals. Eppley Airfield in Omaha, Nebraska, also experienced numerous delays on flights arriving and departing.
Timeline and Delay Duration
The incident occurred on the evening of August
7, 2026. Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport reported average delays of 90 minutes during the evening hours. The FAA confirmed that air traffic systems at the Minneapolis control center are now operational, but delays are expected to persist for several more hours as air traffic normalizes.
Flights were held on the ground or rerouted during the outage, with airlines gradually resuming operations later in the evening. The FAA clarified that the outage occurred at a regional control center managing air traffic across multiple states, not at the Minneapolis airport tower itself.
Travelers at Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport and Eppley Airfield have
faced ongoing delays. Eppley Airfield advised passengers to contact their airlines before traveling to the airport due to flight impacts. The FAA has not yet determined the cause of the system failure.
Officials confirmed that despite restoration of control systems, flight schedules will continue to experience disruptions throughout the evening on August 7, 2026.
