The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a nationwide ground stop on November 13, 2026, beginning around 4 p.m. Eastern Time, halting departures across the United States for over four hours. The stoppage was lifted shortly before 7:30 p.m. ET but has left airlines contending with extensive flight cancellations and delays, particularly at Chicago O’Hare International Airport and Chicago Midway International Airport.
Mechanical Failure in FAA Communications Equipment Triggers Ground Stop
The FAA attributed the ground stop to a mechanical failure of its communications system during a telecommunications network upgrade replacing copper wiring with fiber optics. A faulty router involved in the upgrade generated in excess of 1,000 connection requests
every four to five seconds, disrupting radar and communication feeds nationwide.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy explained the replacement router started flooding other FAA network routers, destabilizing the system and prompting the nationwide halt. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford confirmed there is no evidence of cyberattack or artificial intelligence involvement.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin also stated there was no indication the incident posed a threat to U.S. security, and the disruption stemmed from mechanical failures in aging infrastructure. This incident marks only the second nationwide ground stop since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, and the first since January 2023.
Significant Flight Disruptions Persist Through November 14 and Beyond
Following
the lifting of the ground stop, the fallout continued into the next day. As of 1:43 p.m. November 14, Chicago O’Hare reported 605 canceled flights and Midway 72 canceled flights. Delay averages for that day hovered around 28 minutes at O’Hare and 23 minutes at Midway, with Midway experiencing an average delay of 65 minutes on Saturday night.
Chicago airports also faced an initial ground stop beginning earlier on November 13, with O’Hare halted at 2:10 p.m. and Midway following at 2:17 p.m. The Chicago Department of Aviation infrastructure was not affected by the FAA communications system failure.
Other major
airports felt the impact: New York’s JFK, LaGuardia, and Stewart Airports combined reported over 800 cancellations and 600 delays by the end of November 13. Newark Liberty International saw cancellations reach 15% of scheduled flights on November 14, with LaGuardia and JFK each seeing 21% of flights canceled.
JetBlue Airways canceled all remaining November 13 flights except for routes to Europe and those scheduled for November 14, while American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, and Southwest Airlines issued travel waivers through at least the weekend to accommodate affected passengers. Southwest extended some waivers through Monday.
Travelers Face Extended Delays, Missed Connections, and Stranded Situations
Thousands of passengers faced
cancellation-induced disruptions including long waits at terminals and tarmacs. At O’Hare, travelers like Dan Throm from Appleton, Wisconsin, waiting for transportation home after being stranded with delayed luggage. At Midway, passenger Stephanie Hugel spent over 18 hours at the airport, missing her connection by two minutes and forced to stay overnight.
Traveler Gerard Hill expressed frustration, stating, “From last night, I don’t think I wanna get on a plane no more after this because I don’t know what’s going on actually. they said it was the FAA communications, but I don’t know it really sounds weird.” Vivian Azeredo, whose flight
to Dublin was canceled, reported losing communication with the tower mid-flight but managed to land safely after 6.5 hours on the tarmac.
Rental car and hotel rooms near major airports quickly sold out as stranded passengers sought accommodations. Flight crews reaching duty time limits further contributed to delayed departures and cancellations throughout the weekend. At least three flights were canceled for Sunday morning at Midway.
The wide-ranging disruptions forced rescheduling of sports travel, including a major college football game between Mississippi and Oklahoma moved to Sunday instead of Saturday. Conferences like the SEC, Big Ten, and Big Twelve pushed kickoff
times back, with some teams opting to travel by bus to avoid flight delays.
FAA and Officials Investigate; Leadership Faces Criticism
The FAA is conducting a thorough investigation into the root causes of the communications outage and plans to release a full report when complete. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford emphasized the mechanical nature of the failure, stating, “We see zero evidence of anything nefarious, and zero evidence of anything AI-related.”
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy characterized the outdated air traffic control technology as insufficient for current demands, calling for increased funding. New York Governor Kathy Hochul blamed chronic air traffic controller shortages and communication breakdowns under current leadership.
The FAA implemented the ground stop as a precaution to maintain safety amid radar and communications instability during the fiber optic upgrade. The disruption has highlighted ongoing issues related to aging infrastructure and insufficient staffing across the U.S. air traffic control system.
