The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ended a nationwide ground stop that began at 3:36 p.m. ET on November 13, 2026, after a communications failure affected air traffic control centres nationwide. The stoppage, only the third in U.S. aviation history, halted all departing flights across the country and was caused by instability in radar and communications systems tied to aging analog infrastructure.
Flight Disruptions Across Major Canadian Airports
The ground stop led to widespread delays and cancellations at Canadian airports with flights connected to the U.S, including Toronto Pearson, Montreal-Trudeau, Vancouver, Edmonton, and Calgary. Saskatoon and Regina airports reported no disruptions as they do not have
scheduled direct flights to the U.S. The halting of all U.S. departures also affected international flights crossing into American airspace. NAV CANADA, which operates Canada’s civil air navigation system, confirmed the safety and efficiency of Canadian air traffic but noted that some delays may continue as operations return to normal.
Official Statements on Cause and Response
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy attributed the outage to outdated FAA communications infrastructure, calling on Congress for emergency funding to modernize the system. “I want Congress to give us emergency funding,” he said during a White House briefing. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin stated there was no evidence the outage resulted
from a cyberattack or malicious activity. “There is no indication, as of yet, that this was a nefarious attack against us,” Mullin said. He stressed that the public was never in danger during the outage and reassured travelers it was unrelated to the previous day’s worldwide Microsoft Outlook outage.
Ongoing Delays and Traveler Impact
The FAA initially maintained the ground stop on all departing U.S. flights but began lifting restrictions just before 7 p.m. ET on November 13. Despite resuming departures, delays continued due to the backlog created during the stoppage. Canadian airports and NAV CANADA urged passengers to verify flight statuses as the system
gradually returned to normal operations. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was activated to assist airports, cities, and states in supporting affected passengers, including those requiring medication.
Funding and Investigation Details
Last year, Congress provided $12.5 billion for overhauling the U.S. air traffic control system, which relies largely on decades-old analog equipment. On November 13, 2026, the FAA and White House formally requested an additional $30.1 billion to accelerate modernization efforts. FAA technicians continue investigating all possible causes of the failure. Air Space Intel, the company behind the FAA’s AI-powered Strategic Management of Airspace, Routes and Trajectories (SMART) system, confirmed that the ground stop was
not linked to their technology.
