A regional equipment outage by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on August 6, 2026, resulted in a ground stop at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) starting around 2 p.m. local time. This incident affected air traffic control operations and caused delays across several Midwestern airports, including MSP, Des Moines International Airport, and flights servicing Duluth.
Flight Operations Impact and Official Statements
The FAA outage limited departures and restricted arrivals at MSP, leading to significant flight delays throughout the afternoon. At 4:15 p.m., Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport announced via its social media platform X that airlines had begun resuming some operations. However, the Metropolitan Airports Commission advised that
flight impacts would likely continue into the evening as airlines work to recover.
Des Moines International Airport spokesperson Sarah Hoodjer confirmed that delays at Des Moines are also due to the same FAA equipment outage, which is affecting air traffic operations beyond the airport’s control. Hoodjer stated, “Des Moines International Airport is experiencing flight delays due to a regional FAA equipment outage affecting air traffic operations. The issue is impacting airports across the region and is outside of the airport’s control.” Travelers at these airports should monitor communications from their airlines for updated flight status.
