The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) lifted a nationwide ground stop on the evening of Friday, November 13, 2026, ending a disruption that affected more than 10,000 flights across the United States.
The ground stop began around 4 p.m. Eastern Time and was lifted at approximately 8:15 to 8:30 p.m. ET after more than four hours, according to official FAA statements and USA Today reports.
Cause of the Ground Stop
The FAA attributed the sudden halt in flights to overloaded and unstable communication equipment within its aging analog air traffic control system. This infrastructure includes telecommunications routers and radar systems that began providing inconsistent data, prompting
the FAA to halt departures for safety reasons.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told reporters the system’s switches and routers overloaded due to their outdated nature and that the crash was detected at 3:36 p.m. ET. He said, “What we have is an incredibly old air traffic control system, they started to give us inconsistency in the data from those routers, and because of that we shut the system down.”
The contractor L3Harris Technologies was in the process of replacing copper wiring with fiber-optic cables when the overload occurred, which may have triggered the disruption. Digital IP systems in a limited
number of air traffic control centers remained unaffected.
Scope of Impact and Ongoing Disruptions
At the time the ground stop was announced, over 3,500 airplanes were in flight across U.S. airspace. By 8 p.m. ET, fewer than 400 planes remained airborne.
FlightAware reported that cancellations exceeded 6,000 flights nationwide by the following day, November 14, with thousands more delayed. The disruption affected major airports including Newark Liberty International Airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), LaGuardia Airport, Philadelphia International Airport, Boston Logan International Airport, and Westchester County Airport.
Newark airport alone faced 84 delays and 43 cancellations on Sunday morning, November 15, 2026. An estimated 1.5
million passengers encountered delays or cancellations for flights scheduled after 4 p.m. on November 13.
American Airlines prioritized restoring flights to non-hub cities and international routes on the evening of the ground stop, while United Airlines acknowledged a “significant number” of canceled flights but reported that many still operated. Delta Airlines allowed customers to change flights without fees as part of its recovery efforts.
Official Responses and Safety Assurances
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin reiterated that the outage posed no danger to public safety and was not the result of a cyberattack. He stated, “We’re wanting to assure all the American people, this isn’t a
safety (threat) to the American people or another 9/11, there is no prior indication as of yet that this was nefarious attack against us.” He further assured the public, “The public was never at danger through this process. There was no lives at risk. There was no flights at risk. All your loved ones are safe.”
New York Governor Kathy Hochul responded to the incident by calling for the removal of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and a congressional investigation into the underlying causes.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy criticized the outdated system and contractor failures, stating, “Our contractor didn’t meet the
moment or the equipment didn’t meet the moment.” He urged Congress to increase funding for modernization, requesting $50 billion compared to the $30 billion previously requested by President Donald Trump.
FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford projected a full normalization of U.S. air travel by the end of Sunday, November 15, though ongoing delays and cancellations are expected throughout the weekend.
Traveler Experiences and Airline Operations
Thousands of travelers were stranded or delayed nationwide, including in affected states such as Michigan, where airports in Detroit, Flint, and Grand Rapids experienced significant disruptions. Some passengers faced missed connections and extended ground waits, with instances of overnight stays due
to unavailable flights.
Airports managed the influx of stranded passengers by activating emergency operations, supplying essentials like cots, blankets, and baby formula. Sports teams and travelers alike adjusted schedules in response to the ongoing disruptions.
Flight consultants advised that non-stop flights earlier in the day are preferable to minimize knock-on delays. Airlines have allowed free rebooking and refunds as part of recovery efforts.
Aviation consultant Andrew Charlton described the situation as having a significant knock-on effect, comparing system upgrades to changing car tires while moving at highway speed because continuous operations prevent shutting down the system.
The FAA’s modernization effort
has replaced about 70% of air traffic control system equipment to date, with $12.5 billion invested. However, the current outage demonstrates remaining vulnerabilities in the legacy infrastructure.
