A system outage at the Minneapolis air traffic control facility disrupted FAA radar and air traffic control systems across a 330,000 square mile area covering Minnesota, Nebraska, Iowa, Michigan, Kansas, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin on August 6, 2026.
Flights arriving and departing within this region were held on the ground or diverted. Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) imposed a ground stop around 2:00 p.m. Central Time. Airlines began resuming some operations by approximately 4:15 p.m., but flight delays continued into the evening, averaging 90 minutes at MSP airport Thursday night.
Regional Impact and Other Affected Airports
Beyond Minnesota, airports throughout the Midwest experienced
flight disruptions. Eppley Airfield in Omaha, Nebraska reported numerous delayed arrivals and departures linked to the FAA outage. Travelers at Eppley Airfield were urged to contact their airlines before arriving at the airport. The FAA outage caused ripple effects on flights serving the nine affected states.
Official Statements and Control Center Clarification
The FAA confirmed the outage occurred at the Minneapolis regional air traffic control center, not the MSP airport control tower. Systems were restored later on August 6, but delays were anticipated for several more hours. The Metropolitan Airports Commission overseeing MSP said, “Expect some flight impacts to resume through evening as airlines recover.” Eppley
Airfield officials also acknowledged ongoing delays and recommended passengers verify flight status directly with airlines.
Passengers faced temporary grounding or diversion of flights throughout the Midwest. With an average delay of 90 minutes at MSP and confirmed delays at other regional airports, traveler disruption extended well into the evening hours of August 6, 2026.
