The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) imposed a national ground stop across all US airports on the evening of 13 November 2026 due to communication failures at regional air traffic control centres. The stoppage lasted approximately four hours, triggering significant flight disruptions affecting transatlantic routes to and from the United States.
Flight cancellations and delays at UK airports
British Airways cancelled its London Heathrow to New York flight scheduled for 10:30pm on 13 November 2026. Virgin Atlantic also cancelled its Heathrow to New York JFK flight on the same day. London Heathrow reported 31 cancellations on 14 November 2026 involving US-bound and arriving flights, alongside delays to
about 20 departures. An 8:20am Heathrow departure to Dallas Fort Worth was cancelled on 14 November 2026, along with several incoming US flights.
At Manchester Airport, three US-bound Virgin Atlantic flights to New York, Orlando, and Atlanta were airborne with slight delays despite the US ground stop. London Gatwick cancelled three flights scheduled to arrive from Orlando at 7:30am on 14 November 2026 due to the disruption.
Airline and airport responses
British Airways advised passengers to travel to the airport as planned to allow for quick boarding, emphasizing that the disruption was beyond their control. Virgin Atlantic recommended customers verify flight statuses on their
website as they monitored the incident. Aer Lingus allowed flights en route to the US to land but placed all departures from the US on hold, maintaining close communication with affected customers.
Manchester Airport reported no significant delays despite the US-related ground stop, urging passengers to watch for flight updates but maintain normal travel plans. The UK Civil Aviation Authority’s consumer director Tim Johnson warned of follow-on disruption while confirming airlines were working to assist impacted travellers.
Eurocontrol suspension and coordination
Eurocontrol suspended all US-bound flights departing its 42 member states, including the UK, Ireland, Germany, and France, from 22:00 UTC on 13 November
to 05:00 UTC on 14 November 2026 at the FAA’s request. The Network Manager Operations Centre closely monitored the suspension and regularly issued operational updates throughout this period.
Official statements on causes and outlook
US Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin attributed the outage to new technology introduced into an outdated air traffic control system that it could not handle, explicitly ruling out cyber attacks or rogue artificial intelligence involvement. US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy expected full restoration of flight operations ahead of the Thanksgiving travel weekend but warned that future outages were possible. He said, “We didn’t think we would have this kind of outage. We
did. We were able to review what went wrong, and then reboot the system and go. But, you will have more of these.”
