The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a nationwide ground stop on Friday, November 13, 2026, grounding all flights departing U.S. airspace for about five hours. The suspension led to the longest nationwide flight shutdown in the U.S. since September 11, 2001.
Flight Cancellations at Canadian Airports
More than 100 Canadian flights were cancelled on Saturday, November 14, following the FAA ground stop. Toronto Pearson International Airport cancelled 143 U.S.-bound flights on Friday and another 63 on Saturday. Dozens more cancellations occurred on Saturday at Montreal-Trudeau, Ottawa, Vancouver, and Calgary airports.
Cause of the U.S. Flight Ground Stop
The ground stop was triggered by a telecommunications problem involving a router installed by
FAA contractor L3Harris. The new router began “flooding” other routers, disrupting communication lines and radar feeds across U.S. air traffic control.
Airlines’ Response and Passenger Impact
Air Canada cancelled roughly 250 flights on Friday, affecting about 27,000 passengers, according to spokesperson Yasmine Mehdi. The airline is adding extra flights to accommodate stranded travelers. WestJet and Porter airlines are offering flight changes free of charge to assist customers.
Hundreds of US-bound flights were cancelled at Canadian airports on November 14, stranding thousands of travelers. Passengers faced long delays, cancellations, and disruptions including being stranded either in airports or on parked planes. Some incurred additional expenses such
as overnight accommodation and food without guaranteed reimbursement.
Passengers like John Jacques experienced extended travel times exceeding 24 hours after being delayed 16 hours in Dallas en route from Brisbane to Toronto. Maggie Sepulveda at Toronto Pearson reported paying over $250 in unreimbursed expenses due to cancellations and flight changes.
Official Statements and Recovery Timeline
Yasmine Mehdi described the disruption as “significant,” with ongoing cancellations on Saturday as crews and aircraft were out of position. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford announced the ground stop was lifted shortly after 7 p.m. U.S. time on Friday and expects U.S. air travel schedules to normalize by the end of
Sunday, November 15. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy credited the disruption to the faulty router installation.
