The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a nationwide ground stop affecting all US airports from 2200 UTC on November 13, 2026, until 0500 UTC on November 14, 2026. The four-hour suspension, caused by communications failures at regional air traffic control centres, resulted in about 10,000 cancelled flights to and from the US, marking the longest US air traffic shutdown since the 9/11 attacks.
Flight Cancellations and Delays at London Heathrow and Gatwick
London Heathrow Airport recorded 31 cancelled flights to and from the US by 0945 GMT on November 14, 2026, alongside approximately 20 delayed departures. At London Gatwick Airport, three flights inbound from Orlando, Florida, scheduled for
0730 GMT on November 14, were also cancelled. Virgin Atlantic cancelled a London Heathrow to New York JFK flight originally set to depart on November 13.
Airline and Regulatory Responses
The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) warned travellers of ongoing disruptions as airlines work to rebook passengers and restore scheduling. Tim Johnson, the CAA’s consumer director, urged passengers on UK-US routes to verify flight details before travelling. British Airways apologized for delays and cancellations, advising passengers to maintain airport arrival times despite the disruptions, stating the issues were “entirely outside of our control.” Virgin Atlantic confirmed it was actively monitoring flight status amid the
FAA order and directed customers to check updates on virginatlantic.com.
Eurocontrol Suspension of US-Bound Flights
Eurocontrol, overseeing 42 European member states including the UK, Ireland, Germany, and France, suspended all air traffic departing these states for US airports during the FAA ground stop period from 2200 UTC November 13 to 0500 UTC November 14. The Network Manager Operations Centre stated it was closely monitoring the situation and providing updates on the suspension impacting transatlantic flights.
US Official Statements on Cause and Future Disruption
US Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin explained the outage resulted from new technology overwhelming ageing air traffic control infrastructure, denying any involvement of cyberattacks or rogue artificial intelligence. US Transportation
Secretary Sean Duffy announced the reopening of US airspace around 0130 GMT on November 14 but anticipated ongoing disruptions for several days as airlines managed the backlog. Duffy mentioned more outages could occur, noting the system reboot had restored operations following the unexpected outage.
Historical Context and Upcoming Travel Period
This four-hour US air traffic shutdown stands as the longest since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, affecting roughly 10,000 flights transiting US airspace. The incident occurred just ahead of the heavy travel period preceding the US Thanksgiving holiday weekend on November 26, 2026, raising concerns over continued air traffic delays and cancellations in the coming days.
