On September 20, 2026, a system outage at the Federal Aviation Administration’s Minneapolis air traffic control facility disrupted flights entering and leaving Minnesota and nine other Midwest states.
Flights Grounded and Delayed Across Midwest
The outage caused flights to be held on the ground or diverted, affecting air travel in Minnesota, Michigan, Kansas, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Wisconsin. Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport (MSP) faced delays averaging 90 minutes Thursday evening.
The FAA confirmed the system outage and acknowledged ongoing disruptions at multiple regional airports throughout the evening.
Radar and Air Traffic Control Systems Impacted
The Minneapolis air traffic control facility, which manages traffic over 330,000 square miles in the Midwest,
experienced a temporary failure of radar and air traffic control systems. Although these systems were restored later, disruptions persisted at Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport and other airports in the Midwest region, delaying arrivals and departures throughout the evening.
