A regional equipment outage at the Federal Aviation Administration’s Minneapolis air traffic control facility on August 6, 2026, prompted a ground stop at Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport (MSP), disrupting flights across multiple Midwestern states. The outage affected a control center, not the airport’s tower, and the FAA confirmed that the systems resumed operation later in the day but delays would continue for several more hours.
Flight operations involving Minnesota, Nebraska, Iowa, Michigan, Kansas, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin experienced significant impact. Flights arriving and departing MSP were held or diverted. Airports affected beyond MSP included Omaha’s Eppley Airfield
in Nebraska, where numerous arrivals and departures were delayed, and Duluth International Airport (DLH) in Minnesota, which reported some Delta Air Lines flights were impacted.
The ground stop was issued at approximately 2 p.m. Central Daylight Time (CDT) on August 6. By about 4:15 p.m. CDT, airlines began resuming some flight operations at MSP and other regional airports. Despite this recovery, officials warned that flight delays and disruptions would persist into the evening hours.
Passengers were advised to expect ongoing flight delays and are recommended to contact their airlines directly before heading to airports in the affected region. Airlines were
actively restoring normal service, though full recovery was not expected within the same day.
Official Statements and Clarifications
Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport confirmed the ground stop via social media, citing the impact of the regional FAA equipment outage. The FAA stated their systems at the Minneapolis control center, distinct from the airport tower, had returned to operation but noted delays would continue for several more hours. Officials at Duluth International Airport indicated that some Delta Air Lines flights were affected by the incident.
The Metropolitan Airports Commission summarized the situation, stating, “Flight impacts to resume through evening as airlines recover.” The FAA has not
identified a cause for the equipment outage as of the report date.
