The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) lifted a ground stop at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on September 11, 2026. The ground stop was replaced with a ground delay program from 6:00 p.m. to 9:59 p.m. Local flights arriving experienced an average delay of 107 minutes, with the longest delay reaching 271 minutes. Outbound flights from ATL were delayed an average of 75 minutes, and delays continued to increase during the program.
Scope of Delay Program and Flight Impact
The FAA’s ground delay program applied to flights departing from airports within 1,000 nautical miles of Atlanta. Affected flights were assigned revised departure times to manage inbound traffic volume at
Hartsfield-Jackson. This control measure aimed to reduce congestion as weather conditions disrupted operations. Both incoming and outgoing flights experienced substantial hold times, reflecting ongoing air traffic restrictions in the region.
Weather Conditions Driving Disruptions
Thunderstorms and heavy rain moved across metro Atlanta and North Georgia throughout the day, prompting the FAA to issue multiple ground stops beginning at 12:08 p.m. These weather events caused extensive delays and intermittent grounding of flights in the region. The CBS Atlanta NEXT Weather team monitored downpours that also raised concerns over potential localized flooding.
The FAA originally implemented several ground stops during the afternoon to manage the weather’s
impact on airport operations. Once the ground stop was lifted, the transition to a ground delay program helped moderate aircraft arrivals and departures.
Despite lifting the ground stop, travelers at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport continued to face significant travel disruption. Flights were delayed by nearly two hours on average for arrivals and more than an hour for departures, compounded by the ongoing weather-related issues. Revised flight departure times were necessary to control the flow of air traffic safely under adverse conditions.
