FAA issues nationwide ground stop due to telecommunications system failure

The Federal Aviation Administration issued a nationwide ground stop for all departing flights on Friday, November 13, 2026, following a telecommunications system failure. The outage affected multiple air traffic control centers and lasted for more than 4 hours. While aircraft already in flight were permitted to land, aircraft remaining on the ground were prohibited from departing until the order was lifted.

System failure details

The outage was caused by data inconsistencies in switches and routers, which necessitated a system shutdown. US Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy stated that the switches and routers received more data than they could handle, causing inconsistencies that necessitated a system shutdown. This incident occurred one day after a global Microsoft service outage on Thursday, November 12, 2026.

The ground stop was lifted at 8:15 PM on November 13, 2026. FlightAware reported that the incident affected nearly 11,000 flights, which included over 1,000 cancellations and nearly 10,000 delays. However, PPTV HD 36 News reported that the total number of affected flights was 7,000. The disruption impacted international flights originating from Canada and Europe.

Security and investigation

The Department of Homeland Security and the FBI investigated the cause of the failure. Both agencies found no evidence of a cyberattack or terrorism related to the incident. US Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin said there is no reason for the public to be afraid because the incident was a telecommunications failure rather than a threat.

This event marks the second nationwide ground stop since the September 11, 2001, attacks. The previous nationwide ground stop occurred in January 2023. While the outage followed a Microsoft service outage, PPTV HD 36 News reported that the specific details of the outage were not related to the Microsoft incident.

Aviation infrastructure funding

The incident highlights ongoing challenges within the US aviation infrastructure, including aging equipment, communication system issues, and air traffic controller shortages. The Federal Aviation Administration and the White House have requested an additional 30.1 billion US dollars from Congress to address these aviation system issues. This request follows a 12.5 billion US dollars budget approved by the US Congress in 2025 for communication system upgrades for the Federal Aviation Administration.

Glossary

• Department of Homeland Security — The Department of Homeland Security is an agency that investigates the causes of system failures. It works to determine if incidents are related to cyberattacks or terrorism.
• FBI — The FBI is an agency that investigates the causes of system failures. It works to determine if incidents are related to cyberattacks or terrorism.
• Congress — Congress is a legislative body that approves budgets for aviation system upgrades.
• ground stop — A ground stop or ground delay is an order issued by the FAA. It prohibits aircraft remaining on the ground from departing until the order is lifted.