Nationwide us flight ground stop lifted after major communications failure

The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a nationwide ground stop for all departing flights on Friday, November 13, 2026, due to a severe telecommunications failure affecting air traffic control centers. The order, which began at 3:36 pm Eastern Time, affected thousands of passengers and forced hundreds of flights to divert. According to tracking service Flightradar24, approximately 3,100 aircraft were in the air at the time the directive was issued. Inbound international flights were managed on a case-by-case basis during the disruption.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin confirmed the grounding was a precautionary measure, explicitly denying any connection to a hostile cyberattack or terrorist activity. Authorities clarified that all airborne aircraft remained safe throughout the incident. The ban lasted nearly five hours, with normal operations resuming by 8:15 pm Eastern Time.

Following the event, officials emphasized the need for systemic upgrades to the nation's aging aviation infrastructure. Secretary Duffy and Secretary Mullin both called for significant federal investment, estimating the cost of modernization at approximately $50 billion. The FAA continues to evaluate the cause of the failure to prevent future systemic disruptions.