The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) lifted the ground stop at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on September 11, 2026. Following the cancellation, a ground delay program was implemented from 6 p.m. to 9:59 p.m. to manage flight arrivals at the airport.
Inbound flights to Atlanta experienced an average delay of 107 minutes, with the longest delay recorded at 271 minutes. Departing flights from Hartsfield-Jackson faced an average delay of 75 minutes, with delays increasing during the evening.
The ground delay applies to flights departing airports within 1,000 nautical miles of Atlanta, which received updated departure times to control the volume of
aircraft arriving. The first ground stop had started earlier that day at 12:08 p.m. amid severe weather.
Flight disruptions originated from thunderstorms crossing metro Atlanta and North Georgia, causing heavy rain and localized flooding. These weather conditions prompted the initial ground stops and continuing operational restrictions through the afternoon and evening.
Travelers at Atlanta’s airport on September 11 experienced significant delays, with inbound flights nearly two hours late on average and departures delayed over one hour. Flight disruptions persisted throughout the evening despite the ground stop being lifted.
The FAA replaced the ground stop with a ground delay program to
regulate airport arrival rates, as the CBS Atlanta NEXT Weather team monitored ongoing thunderstorms and rainfall across the region.
