FAA grounds all US flights for four hours over communications failure

Key facts

• The FAA cited communications problems at regional air traffic control centers as the reason for the ground stop.
• FlightAware counted 10,343 flight delays within, into or out of the US and 1,479 cancellations.
• Flightradar24 said more than 1,000 aircraft were bound for the US when the stop was announced.
• Only two national ground stops had previously been issued: on September 11, 2001, and in January 2023 after a communications failure.
• NBA, NHL and college teams were left stranded trying to reach destinations before a weekend of games.

The Federal Aviation Administration issued a nationwide ground stop on the afternoon of Friday, November 13, 2026, citing communications problems at regional air traffic control centers, according to an FAA notice. The agency sent an advisory lifting the stop four hours later.

At New York's John F Kennedy airport, passengers found travel plans canceled, some after they had boarded. Steve Honberger, traveling home to Portland, Oregon, with his wife and daughter, said he was on a plane about to take off when the shutdown was announced. The plane sat at the gate for an hour and 40 minutes before passengers asked to deplane and rebook.

FlightAware counted 10,343 flight delays within, into or out of the US and 1,479 cancellations. Flightradar24 said more than 1,000 aircraft were bound for the US when the ground stop was announced.

As the day wore on, passengers on international flights began boarding, prompting applause at the gates. An airline representative said only international flights were moving. Tom Rolenaitis, returning a Shiba Inu show dog named Tsuki to Finland, said the disruption was cutting into a three-day trip.

The ground stop also left NBA, NHL and college teams stranded as they tried to reach destinations before a weekend of games, and it was unclear whether referees would arrive on time. Only two national ground stops had previously been issued: on September 11, 2001, after the attack on the World Trade Center, and in January 2023, after a communications failure.