Nationwide aviation chaos in the US following communication systems failure

On November 13, 2026, the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a nationwide order grounding all departing flights due to severe communication disruptions in air traffic control centers. The suspension, which lasted over four hours, affected all 22 regional control centers across the country. While aircraft already in the air were permitted to continue their flights and land, the measure caused unprecedented disruption, leading to more than 5,000 cancellations and nearly 10,000 delays. Additionally, at least 600 flights were diverted, with 496 returning to their original departure airports.

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin stated that the incident was caused by a telecommunications failure and confirmed there is no evidence of malicious intent. Authorities are currently investigating whether the disruption is linked to the recent nationwide rollout of the 'Strategic Management of Airspace, Routes and Trajectories' (SMART) tool, an AI-based system intended to optimize flight paths and reduce delays. Operations were restored by the early hours of November 14, though airlines continue to struggle with the backlog of passengers and scheduling issues.