The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a nationwide ground stop on November 13, 2026, at approximately 3:36 p.m. ET, grounding flights across the United States for more than four hours. The stoppage was triggered by a critical communications failure involving intermittent loss of radar and communication at 22 regional air traffic control centers managing high-altitude traffic.
Flight Cancellations and Airport Impact
The grounding resulted in about 6,700 canceled flights and 8,600 delays nationwide. More than 3,500 aircraft were airborne when the outage began, decreasing to roughly 400 as planes landed or were diverted. Approximately 600 flights were diverted during the incident, with 104 redirected to
alternate airports.
Major U.S. airports affected by delays and cancellations included Newark Liberty International (EWR), John F. Kennedy (JFK), LaGuardia (LGA), Chicago O’Hare (ORD), and Midway (MDW). Coastal airports such as Washington Dulles International (IAD) and San Francisco International (SFO) were allowed to maintain international departures since their flights operate outside the affected regional control centers.
Air Canada canceled all flights to and from the United States for the rest of the evening and notified passengers that flights transiting U.S. airspace from Canada, the Caribbean, and South America could also face disruptions. JetBlue Airways canceled all remaining flights for the
day except routes to Europe and planned some cancellations for the following day to reposition staff and aircraft.
Official Statements and Cause of Outage
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy attributed the outage to overloaded telecommunications routers and an outdated air traffic control system at its 22 regional centers. He said, “What we have is an incredibly old air traffic control system,” and warned, “It’s going to continue to fail.” Duffy said the FAA had been requesting $30 billion in congressional funding for a full rebuild but increased its request to $50 billion after the incident.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin declared there was no indication of
a cyberattack, describing the failure as mechanically driven. He stated, “It doesn’t appear to be a cyberattack, and that it appears this was mechanically driven.” Duffy confirmed intermittent loss of radar and communication at the affected centers and said flights would resume gradually as systems recovered.
Traveler Disruptions and Airline Responses
The ground stop stranded hundreds of thousands of passengers in the U.S. and Canada. At Vancouver International Airport (YVR), Air Canada flights faced significant cancellations and delays, with eight of 22 U.S.-bound flights canceled by 5:45 p.m. PT. Some affected travelers included a U-15 British Columbia Lacrosse team forced to cancel a tournament trip
due to flight cancellations and other passengers left waiting with uncertain schedules.
JetBlue and Air Canada’s cancellations added to the disruption at key U.S. hubs including Newark, JFK, LaGuardia, Chicago O’Hare, and Midway. Despite the ground stop being lifted at 8:15 p.m. ET, delays and cancellations are expected to continue as airlines manage grounded aircraft, staffing challenges, and passenger backlogs.
Aging Infrastructure and Calls for Modernization
The FAA described its air traffic control technology as “incredibly old” and overloaded, with the telecommunications equipment failing during system upgrades. This event marked only the second nationwide ground stop since the September 11, 2001 attacks, following a 90-minute halt
on January 11, 2023, caused by related communications issues.
Transportation Secretary Duffy pressed Congress to approve increased funding for modernization, stating, “I can’t snap my fingers and build a network overnight, but do you want us to build this for America? And I think every member of Congress should say yes.” The FAA and Department of Transportation leadership have sought billions to rebuild the air traffic control system to prevent future outages.
