The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a ground stop at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) beginning at 3:46 a.m. Pacific time on Wednesday, October 14, 2026, following an equipment outage that disrupted air traffic operations.
FAA Advisory 027 pinpointed the cause as an equipment failure impacting FAA operations at or related to LAX. The ground stop restricted inbound flights to LAX, initially scheduled to last until 5 a.m. Pacific time.
The restriction applied to flights departing from several air traffic control centers, including Southern California, Northern California, Seattle, Denver, Salt Lake City, and parts of the central United States. This
measure held aircraft at their originating airports to manage arriving traffic flow at LAX.
Data from the FAA reported 253 delay entries due to the ground stop. The maximum delay recorded was 58 minutes, with an average delay of 36 minutes across affected flights.
Ground stops are traffic management tools enabling the FAA to temporarily halt arrivals when airport traffic capacity is constrained. Aircraft already in flight toward LAX may have received alternate instructions depending on evolving traffic conditions.
The FAA’s initial advisory classified the potential for extending the ground stop as medium but did not disclose which specific equipment
failed or the technical nature of the outage. The equipment outage took place during the early morning operational window at LAX, a period involving domestic departures, overnight international arrivals, and connections from Asia and Oceania.
The ground stop’s impacts could disrupt schedules for connecting passengers and subsequent departures due to delayed aircraft arrivals. However, the FAA advisory did not provide information on the number of flights or cancellations affected.
Recent FAA Technical Incidents
This LAX disruption is among several technical incidents affecting US air traffic operations in 2026. In September, a communication equipment failure at Philadelphia Terminal Radar Approach Control led to flight restrictions
at Newark, Philadelphia, and other Northeast airports. That previous failure involved issues with communication circuits and a damaged backup fiber-optic line. The FAA has not indicated any connection between that event and the October 14 outage at LAX.
Current restrictions and flight status for LAX and other airports remain available through the FAA Air Traffic Control System Command Center and individual airlines.
