The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a nationwide ground stop for all departing flights in the United States on November 13, 2026, due to safety concerns related to air traffic control communications failures.
Following the FAA order, Montreal-Trudeau International Airport suspended all flights to and from the United States until further notice, cancelling 40 flights that day, including 24 departures and 16 arrivals. Toronto Pearson Airport also halted all flights between the airport and the U.S., confirming there were no scheduled U.S.-bound departures or arrivals during the disruption. Air Canada cancelled all its flights to and from the United States
for the remainder of the evening, with possible impacts affecting flights connecting Canada, the Caribbean, and South America via the U.S.
The FAA attributed the ground stop to communication issues affecting all 22 U.S. Air Route Traffic Control Centers. Officials cited overloaded and outdated air traffic systems as the cause. The FAA described the measure as necessary due to “extraordinary circumstances” and safety considerations.
The nationwide halt lasted until around 8:20 to 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time on November 13, after which the FAA lifted the ground stop. Over 4,000 flights were cancelled across the U.S. as a result, with thousands
more delayed or cancelled by late that afternoon.
NAV Canada confirmed its civil air traffic control systems were operating normally throughout the event. To manage traffic volumes safely amid the U.S. disruption, NAV Canada implemented temporary traffic management measures at Montreal and other Canadian airports.
Passengers at Montreal-Trudeau faced uncertainty as flights were suspended, with the airport advising travelers to check flight status directly with their airlines. One passenger stranded at Montreal expressed frustration, stating, “We don’t know what to do. Do we go home? Do we stay here? They have no news.” Another noted the inconvenience but said, “It’s
a real inconvenience but that’s life.”
This ground stop was the second nationwide halt of all U.S. departing flights since the September 11, 2001 attacks, marking a rare occurrence in American air traffic history. The disruption also caused significant ripple effects on Canadian-U.S. travel routes due to interconnected aviation networks.
