On November 13, 2026, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a nationwide ground stop shortly before 4 p.m. ET due to communications failures at regional air traffic control centres, grounding flights bound for the United States from Toronto’s airports. The FAA lifted the order around 8:15 p.m. ET, permitting flights to resume departures.
Flight cancellations spike at Toronto Pearson and Billy Bishop
Ontario’s busiest airport, Toronto Pearson International Airport, recorded cancellations of more than 120 U.S.-bound flights scheduled for departure and arrival that day. Air Canada responded by cancelling all remaining flights between Canada and the U.S. for the remainder of the evening, including those transiting U.S. airspace
en route to the Caribbean and South America. In addition to U.S.-bound flights, 20 other international flights at Pearson were also cancelled. At Toronto Billy Bishop Airport, Porter Airlines cancelled all remaining inbound and outbound U.S. flights on November 13, 2026.
NAV Canada and airport authorities manage recovery
Canada’s air navigation service provider, NAV Canada, reported that its operations and systems were unaffected by the FAA telecommunications outage. It implemented traffic management measures at Toronto Pearson and three other major Canadian airports to safely manage traffic volumes during the disruption. Toronto Pearson spokeswoman Erica Vella said the airport’s emergency operations centres remained activated as the site moved
into recovery mode. Vella stated, “We are working very, very closely with our airlines, and we will be moving into a bit of a recovery mode today and tomorrow to make sure that airlines can get their schedules back on schedule and make sure that passengers can get to their destinations.” Billy Bishop Airport coordinated with airline and air traffic partners throughout the event.
Passenger experiences highlight travel disruption
Several passengers spoke about disruptions caused by the ground stop. Donna, a traveller scheduled for a flight to New York City, described rescheduling her trip to Saturday morning and expressed disappointment over cancelled weekend plans. Derek,
booked for a Las Vegas flight, predicted further cancellations and refunds ahead. Shahab Mirmiran, hoping to return to Los Angeles for work, described uncertainty and extended waiting periods. A passenger arriving from London awaiting connection to Raleigh, North Carolina, described the experience as frustrating but opted to wait for updates.
A Toronto-area couple, Lyle Jakobsen and his wife, had their Air Canada flight from Sint Maarten cancelled after boarding. Jakobsen said passengers waited on the tarmac for approximately one hour and 15 minutes due to the FAA issue before deplaning. They arranged overnight accommodation with airline assistance. Jakobsen noted, “Air
Canada has been very communicative with us, and we’re happy with that for sure. So, what one more night in Saint Martin is probably not the worst scenario.”
Delays expected as operations normalize
Although the FAA lifted its ground stop order at about 8:15 p.m. ET, both NAV Canada and Toronto Pearson Airport warned that delays and cancellations might continue while backlogs clear and normal operations resume. Vella confirmed the airport’s emergency operations centres would stay active to support ongoing recovery. Passengers spent extended time on tarmacs and faced uncertainty regarding rebooking and accommodations. Airlines offered options for affected travellers, with some flights rescheduled for
November 14, 2026.
