The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) lifted a nationwide ground stop on November 13, 2026, at approximately 8:15 p.m. ET, more than four hours after it was imposed around 4 p.m. ET due to instability in radar and communication systems at air traffic control centers.
The ground stop halted all departing flights across the United States, grounded more than 11,000 flights scheduled to depart after 4 p.m. ET, and left over 3,500 airplanes airborne at the time of issuance. By 8 p.m. ET, fewer than 400 aircraft remained in the sky, reflecting the widespread halt in operations nationwide.
Flight cancellations and airport disruptions nationwide
The outage forced
cancellation of more than 15,000 flights across the country and caused continued delays even after the ground stop was lifted. Key U.S. airports affected included New York City’s JFK, Newark Liberty, and LaGuardia airports; Chicago O’Hare and Midway; Phoenix; Philadelphia International; Boston Logan; Detroit Metropolitan; Flint; and Grand Rapids airports.
Among the 600 flights diverted on November 13, 104 were rerouted to alternative airports. Many passengers faced extended travel disruptions through the weekend, with recovery expected by Sunday evening, as airlines worked to manage the backlog.
Cause traced to failures in aging analog air traffic control system
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy attributed the ground stop to overloaded telecommunications routers within the
FAA’s outdated analog air traffic control system. Instability in data from these routers was detected at 3:36 p.m. ET, necessitating system shutdown to maintain safety.
In contrast, air traffic control centers that use modern digital IP-based systems did not experience failures during the outage. Duffy highlighted that the analog system’s overload with data led to the shutdown: “What we have is an incredibly old air traffic control system,” he said. “They started to give us inconsistency in the data from those routers, and because of that we shut the system down.”
Officials affirm safety and refute cyberattack claims
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin assured the public that
the outage posed no safety threat and described it as a mechanical failure without evidence of cyberattack. “We’re wanting to assure all the American people, this isn’t a safety (threat) to the American people or another 9/11,” Mullin said. “There is no prior indication as of yet that this was [a] nefarious attack against us.” He added, “The public was never at danger through this process.”
President Donald Trump was kept continually informed during the event and declared the air traffic control failures a national emergency. Trump increased his funding request for air traffic control system upgrades to $50 billion
from a prior $30 billion. Mullin criticized Congressional delays, stating, “This is what happens when Congress kicks the can down the road.” The FAA allowed critical medevac, law enforcement, and life-saving cargo flights to operate during the ground stop.
Airline responses and ongoing traveler impact
Major airlines responded rapidly in the aftermath. American Airlines focused on operating remaining flights, prioritizing international and non-hub city routes. United Airlines worked to resume service despite a significant number of Friday evening flight cancellations. Delta Airlines allowed customers to change flights without additional charges to facilitate recovery.
The extensive delays and cancellations left many travelers stranded in airports or seeking
alternative transportation such as rental cars, trains, and buses. Airports faced challenges managing grounded aircraft and rescheduling. With the holiday travel season approaching, authorities expect ongoing disruptions through the weekend before normal schedules resume around Sunday evening.
Transportation Secretary Duffy projected a gradual recovery without specifying exact timelines but expressed confidence flights would return to normal ahead of the Thanksgiving travel peak. Airline consultant Robert W. Mann Jr. noted, “The longer the ground stop, the longer the recovery time,” emphasizing the operational difficulties in repositioning crews and equipment after such a major disruption.
