The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered a nationwide ground stop across the United States on Friday, November 13, 2026, following serious disruptions to air traffic control communication systems. The incident caused one of the largest disruptions to US air traffic in the past 25 years, resulting in thousands of cancelled and delayed flights and significant difficulties for passengers and airlines.

The FAA issued the nationwide ground stop at approximately 3:54 p.m. Eastern Time, citing extraordinary circumstances and safety concerns. The measure applied to departures from all US airports, while aircraft already airborne were permitted to continue to their destinations and land safely. International inbound flights were assessed individually, depending on operational circumstances and air traffic control capabilities.

According to the US Department of Transportation, the problems began earlier when air traffic control centres started reporting instability in radar and communication systems. US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy explained that overloaded network routers and switches had begun transmitting unreliable data, prompting the FAA to suspend departures as a precautionary safety measure.

Although concerns were initially raised about a possible cyberattack, US authorities stated that there was no evidence suggesting such an incident. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin emphasised that the safety of passengers and aircraft had not been compromised. An investigation into the exact cause of the technical failure remains ongoing, with preliminary findings pointing to problems involving ageing telecommunications infrastructure within the air traffic control system.

After more than four hours of suspended departures, the FAA lifted the ground stop at 8:15 p.m. Eastern Time on Friday, corresponding to 2:15 a.m. Central European Time on Saturday. However, the restoration of normal air traffic operations has been gradual, as a large number of aircraft and crews were left out of position following the disruption.

The scale of the disruption was particularly evident in flight cancellation and delay figures. According to Flightradar24 data cited by Reuters, more than 6,600 flights were cancelled, while approximately 8,600 experienced delays. The disruption affected major US airports, including those serving New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta and other important aviation hubs. Airlines warned that the consequences could continue for several days despite the restoration of normal air traffic control operations.

The incident has once again raised questions about the reliability of US air traffic management infrastructure. Secretary Duffy warned that parts of the system still rely on outdated technology and called on Congress to allocate an additional $50 billion for its modernisation.

The last comparable disruption occurred in January 2023, when a failure of the FAA’s Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) system, which distributes essential operational and safety information to pilots, resulted in a temporary nationwide suspension of departures. Before that, a nationwide shutdown of US air traffic occurred following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

Although the immediate technical problem has been resolved, the latest incident has demonstrated how a single failure in critical communications infrastructure can affect an entire country’s air traffic operations. The FAA and the US Department of Transportation are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the failure, while airlines gradually restore their regular flight schedules.