The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) lifted the ground stop at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on September 11, 2026, replacing it with a ground delay program effective from 6 p.m. to 9:59 p.m. The program aims to regulate the flow of arriving flights after weather-related disruptions earlier in the day.
Flights approaching Atlanta experienced average delays of 107 minutes, with the longest arrival delay reaching 271 minutes. Departing flights from Atlanta faced an average delay of 75 minutes, a figure that continued to rise as the evening progressed.
The initial ground stop was implemented at 12:08 p.m. following the movement of
thunderstorms and heavy rain across metro Atlanta and North Georgia. The FAA issued multiple ground stops and ongoing flight restrictions throughout the afternoon to manage air traffic affected by severe weather, including localized flooding tracked by the CBS News Atlanta NEXT Weather team.
Passengers at Hartsfield-Jackson endure considerable delays as the airport manages its operational backlog caused by the weather disruptions. Both arrivals and departures remain affected, with flights receiving updated departure times designed to space aircraft arrivals and reduce congestion.
The ground delay program impacts flights departing from airports within 1,000 nautical miles of Atlanta. Revised departure schedules are
enforced to control inbound traffic volume during the period between 6 p.m. and 9:59 p.m., as the FAA addresses the airport’s capacity limits amid lingering weather challenges.
