The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) lifted a nationwide ground stop at approximately 8:15 p.m. ET on Friday, November 13, 2026, after more than four hours of halted operations caused by failures in telecommunications routers within the agency’s aging analog air traffic control system.
The ground stop, issued around 4 p.m. ET due to instability detected in radar and communications systems at U.S. air traffic control centers, affected over 11,000 scheduled departures. More than 3,500 aircraft were airborne when the stoppage began; by 8 p.m. ET, fewer than 400 remained in flight. Major airports impacted included Chicago O’Hare and Midway, New
York City’s John F. Kennedy, Newark Liberty, and LaGuardia airports, Philadelphia International, and Detroit Metropolitan airports.
Airlines Prioritize Recovery Amid Ongoing Disruptions
Airlines responded quickly to the disruption. American Airlines focused on operating remaining flights on non-hub routes and international services after the ground stop and anticipated continued residual delays. United Airlines acknowledged a substantial number of cancellations while maintaining some operations. Delta Airlines announced waivers of change fees as it expedited recovery efforts.
Despite the ground stop being lifted, airlines warned of ongoing delays throughout the weekend, as crews and equipment were out of position due to the sudden halt in operations.
Officials Confirm Infrastructure Failure, No Security Threat
U.S. Transportation Secretary
Sean Duffy attributed the outage to overloaded routers in the FAA’s outdated analog air traffic control system, stating, “What we have is an incredibly old air traffic control system, they started to give us inconsistency in the data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.” He emphasized the need for finalizing the technology upgrade with additional resources.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin emphasized there was no safety threat or cyberattack involved in the outage, assuring the public, “The public was never at danger through this process. There is no prior indication as of yet that
this was nefarious attack against us.” Critical flights, including medevac, cargo, and law enforcement, were exempt from the ground stop.
Funding Requests Highlight Urgency of ATC Modernization
Duffy renewed President Donald Trump’s call for increased funding to modernize the air traffic control system, advocating for $50 billion to complete the upgrade, exceeding the President’s initial request of $30 billion. He warned of further system failures if investments are delayed, citing previous isolated breakdowns near New York and Newark.
Passenger Disruptions and Ongoing Recovery Challenges
Thousands of travelers faced cancellations and delays at airports nationwide. Passengers at Philadelphia International Airport, Detroit Metropolitan, Boston Logan, and multiple Michigan airports including Flint and Grand Rapids experienced
prolonged waits, flight cancellations, and had to seek alternative transportation such as rental cars, Amtrak trains, or buses.
Passengers with children reported difficulties due to late-night delays. Some travelers were forced to reschedule trips, including families headed for international destinations. Airlines advised of relaxed change policies to accommodate disrupted schedules.
Experts cautioned that the length of the ground stop extended recovery time, with full normalization expected to take several days. The disruption occurred ahead of the busy Thanksgiving travel period beginning November 26, raising concerns about travel capacity during the peak season.
