The Federal Aviation Administration lifted the ground stop at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on September 11, 2026, replacing it with a ground delay program effective from 6:00 p.m. to 9:59 p.m. The delay program restricts flights departing from airports within 1,000 nautical miles of Atlanta to manage air traffic flow amid continuing weather disruptions.
Flights arriving at Atlanta under the ground delay program faced an average delay of 107 minutes, with the longest recorded arrival delay being 271 minutes. Departure flights from Hartsfield-Jackson experienced average delays of 75 minutes, and the FAA indicated these departure delays were still increasing as
of the latest reports.
Severe thunderstorms and heavy rain across metro Atlanta and North Georgia caused the weather-related flight disruptions on September 11. The initial ground stop was issued at 12:08 p.m. and multiple stops followed throughout the day as the storms moved across the region.
Passengers encountered significant delays, with arrival waits approaching two hours on average and some flights delayed more than four hours. Departure delays averaged over an hour, contributing to ongoing travel disruptions at one of the world’s busiest airports.
The CBS News Atlanta NEXT Weather team tracked the heavy rain and thunderstorms triggering the disruptions.
The downpours also raised concerns about localized flooding, intensifying operational challenges at Hartsfield-Jackson on September 11.
