FAA Nationwide Ground Stop Halts U.S. Departures
FAA nationwide ground stop halted U.S. departures and exposed airlines to operational disruption that could spur volatility in travel stocks and flows.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- FAA ordered a nationwide ground stop shortly before 4:00 p.m. ET on Nov. 13, 2026.
- Cirium estimated about 11,000 scheduled departures after the advisory; FlightAware estimated nearly 7,000 delayed or canceled.
- Technicians investigated a communications problem affecting ARTCCs; inbound flights were handled case by case.
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The FAA nationwide ground stop on Nov. 13, 2026, halted departing flights across the United States after a communication issue and “extraordinary circumstances” prompted the agency to order all U.S. airports to pause outbound traffic. Technicians investigated the problem while inbound international flights were managed case by case.
FAA Grounds Departures Nationwide
Shortly before 4:00 p.m. ET on Nov. 13, the Federal Aviation Administration’s Federal Aviation Command Center issued an advisory directing all U.S. airports to stop departing flights due to “extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety.” The advisory instructed airports to follow the FAA’s direction until further notice, though one version included an 11:00 p.m. ET operational schedule. International arrivals were to be handled individually.
Scale of Disruption and Investigation
Officials described the event as an air traffic control outage caused by communication problems affecting Air Route Traffic Control Centers (ARTCCs), which manage en-route aircraft between airports. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the issue affected all ARTCCs, while FAA statements referred to multiple centers. FAA technicians were investigating and promised updates.
Cirium estimated about 11,000 flights were scheduled to depart U.S. airports after the advisory took effect, reflecting scheduled flights rather than actual disruptions. FlightAware estimated nearly 7,000 flights had been delayed or canceled, though the figures did not clearly separate delays from cancellations.
Airlines reported that aircraft already airborne were allowed to continue landing, while planes on the ground were not permitted to depart. An internal message at one carrier cited communications and radar problems, but this detail was not confirmed by FAA statements.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said there was no indication the incident posed a threat to the United States.
This stoppage was described as only the second nationwide ground stop of all departures since Sept. 11, 2001. Comparisons to a January 2023 FAA computer malfunction depend on how “nationwide ground stop” is defined.
The combined scheduled-departure and disruption estimates highlight the scale of operational exposure for carriers and travel services, indicating a prolonged recovery and schedule adjustments as the FAA addresses the communications issue.
No airline-specific earnings, capacity, or operational guidance was identified in the available material.
