The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered a nationwide ground stop on all flights for about four hours starting November 13, 2026, due to communications failures at regional air traffic control centers. Approximately 10,000 flights to and from the US were cancelled during this shutdown, marking the longest US air traffic stop since the September 11 attacks. US airspace reopened shortly after 1:30am GMT on November 14, though disruptions persisted in the days following.
Flight cancellations and delays at London Heathrow and Gatwick
On November 14, London Heathrow Airport recorded 31 cancellations for flights to and from the US and around 20 US-bound departures experienced delays as of 9:45am
GMT. British Airways cancelled a New York-bound flight scheduled to depart Heathrow at 10:30pm on November 13, attributing the disruption to the ongoing US air traffic control issues. The airline advised passengers to arrive at the airport as planned despite delays.
Gatwick Airport saw three flights from Orlando, Florida, scheduled to arrive at 7:30am on November 14, cancelled. Virgin Atlantic cancelled a Heathrow to New York JFK flight on November 13 and urged customers to monitor their website for updates amid the US airspace shutdown.
Eurocontrol halts US-bound flights across Europe
Eurocontrol suspended all US-bound flights departing from its 42 member states, including the UK, Ireland,
Germany, and France, between 2200 UTC on November 13 and 0500 UTC on November 14 at the FAA’s request. This suspension covered departures to airports in the US from across Europe, Israel, and Morocco, intensifying the disruption to transatlantic traffic.
Official statements clarify cause and ongoing management
US Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed the reopening of US airspace but warned that continued disruption was expected in the following days. He characterized the outage as unprecedented and noted future occurrences are possible. US Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin clarified that the incident was caused by telecommunications outages stemming from new technology overwhelming existing air traffic control
systems. He dismissed any involvement of cyber attacks or rogue artificial intelligence.
British Airways stated: “Customers are advised to travel to the airport as planned so we can try to depart our aircraft as quickly as possible. This is entirely outside of our control and our teams are working hard to minimise any disruption to our customers.” Virgin Atlantic said it was monitoring the situation closely and advised passengers to check flight status at their website. The UK Civil Aviation Authority’s consumer director, Tim Johnson, warned of possible follow-on disruptions as airlines rebook affected travellers and restore services.
Passenger delays and ongoing disruption at UK airports
The UK
Civil Aviation Authority cautioned passengers travelling between the UK and US to remain alert for updates, noting that delays and cancellations remained as airlines dealt with rebooking and operational restoration. Heathrow faced the largest disruptions, with dozens of flights cancelled or delayed on November 14. Airlines emphasized that cancellations were due to circumstances beyond their control and advised passengers to monitor flight information closely.
Passengers at Gatwick and Heathrow have experienced impacts on major US routes including London to New York JFK and arrivals from Florida, prolonging travel interruptions into the weekend. UK aviation authorities and airlines continue efforts to
manage the backlog and mitigate passenger inconvenience.
