Nationwide us flight grounding follows air traffic control failure

The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an unprecedented nationwide ground stop for all departing flights on Friday, November 13, 2026, due to a severe telecommunications outage affecting regional air traffic control centers. The suspension, which lasted nearly five hours, was initiated at 3:36 p.m. ET and lifted at 8:15 p.m. ET. Officials, including Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, confirmed there was no indication of a hostile attack, attributing the failure to the overload of outdated infrastructure dating back to the 1980s.

The disruption resulted in the cancellation of approximately 10,000 flights and over 7,000 delays, stranding tens of thousands of passengers across the country. Following a meeting with President Donald Trump, officials highlighted the urgent need for a $50 billion investment to modernize the aging air traffic control network. While the nationwide grounding was lifted, recovery efforts continue as airlines work to reposition crews and aircraft. Major hubs reported persistent congestion through the weekend, leading to additional individual flight cancellations as operations slowly resumed.