On November 13-14, 2026, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a nationwide ground stop due to a telecommunications outage affecting regional air traffic control facilities. This unprecedented halt of all U.S. departures caused major disruption at UK airports, with nearly 250 flights to the United States cancelled.
British Airways cancelled a New York-bound flight departing London Heathrow at 10:30pm on November 13, 2026. Virgin Atlantic confirmed potential disruption for three Saturday morning flights from Manchester Airport to the U.S., pending resolution of the FAA communications failure.
US homeland security secretary Markwayne Mullin reassured the public: “There is no reason
for the public to be afraid or scared for your loved ones. This isn’t another 9/11… This is a telecommunications outage.” He emphasized, “Everybody is safe,” adding that flights already in the air would continue to their destinations. Mullin stated, “There is no indication as of yet that this was a nefarious attack … just a telecommunication outage as of right now.”
The FAA cited the cause as a communications failure in regional air traffic control facilities, leading to a stop “due to extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety.” This is only the second nationwide freeze on American flights
of this scale since the September 2001 terror attacks, with the previous similar event in January 2023 caused by a system error.
The FAA ground stop induced cascading cancellations and delays across transatlantic flight routes, severely impacting UK airports including Heathrow and Manchester. Airlines including British Airways and Virgin Atlantic urged passengers to check flight status online. American Airlines reported operational disruption throughout the day, stating, “The FAA has temporarily paused departures nationwide. Flights already in the air can continue to their destinations. We expect disruption to our schedule for the rest of the day, depending on the length of
the FAA’s nationwide ground stop,” and added, “It will be all hands-on deck across American to get customers on their way as soon as possible when the FAA lifts this ground stop.”
