On November 13, 2026, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a nationwide ground stop halting all departing flights across the United States. The ground stop, caused by a temporary telecommunications outage at U.S. Air Route Traffic Control Centers due to aging hardware, disrupted multiple flights to and from Ottawa International Airport.
Ottawa International Airport experienced cancellations and returns of flights amid the disruption. One scheduled flight from Ottawa to Boston was canceled that afternoon, and two other flights that had taken off returned to Ottawa. Additionally, up to five flights from U.S. destinations including South Carolina, North Carolina, Boston,
Chicago, Washington, Newark, Fort Myers, and Fort Lauderdale were expected to arrive at Ottawa during the day, with some potentially diverted. Flight diversion preparations were ongoing as of approximately 6:30 p.m. local time.
Krista Kealey, spokesperson for Ottawa International Airport, confirmed via social media that all U.S.-bound flights were impacted and advised travelers to check with their airlines before arriving at the airport. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy attributed the disruption to old hardware causing the telecommunications outage and announced the FAA lifted the ground stop on the evening of November 13, 2026.
Similar flight delays and cancellations due to
the U.S. FAA ground stop were reported at other major Canadian airports, including Montreal-Trudeau, Toronto Pearson, Calgary, and Vancouver International. NAV Canada implemented traffic management measures at these airports to safely manage traffic volume during the disruption. NAV Canada stated its air traffic control systems operated normally throughout the event.
Passengers on affected flights described confusion and delays. Germain Duffy, a passenger whose flight to Florida returned to Ottawa after reaching U.S. airspace near South Carolina and North Carolina, said, “of course everyone is just wondering what’s going on and we still don’t know what’s going on.” Carolina Lopes, whose
flight from Ottawa to Boston was canceled, reported limited information available while waiting on board. Other passengers on diverted flights to Florida and Fort Lauderdale expressed disappointment but acknowledged their safety. Jason Glover, another passenger on a returning flight, noted, “Nobody knew anything. Nobody told us anything that was on the go, just told us we were going back to the terminal.” NAV Canada urged travelers to expect delays and confirmed its systems were fully functional.
FAA ground stops are rare, with the last occurrence before this event happening in January 2023, and before that on September 11, 2001. U.S.
Homeland Security confirmed the telecommunications outage was not related to any threat or cyberattack. Canadian domestic flights remained unaffected as Canadian air traffic control systems operated normally during the FAA ground stop.
