Key facts
- The FAA said all flights were halted out of an abundance of caution after a temporary telecommunications outage.
- Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the ground stop followed a communication issue affecting all Air Route Traffic Control Centers.
- The FAA said every flight had been accounted for and international flights would be handled case by case.
- Duffy said FAA technicians were investigating the issue.
- The ground stop became a multi-hour ordeal, with passengers deplaned and crowding boarding areas.
The Federal Aviation Administration halted all flights across the United States on November 13, 2026, after what it called a temporary telecommunications outage. In a post on X, the agency said all flights had been halted out of an abundance of caution and that every flight had been accounted for, with international flights to be handled on a case by case basis.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the ground stop was ordered because of a communication issue impacting all Air Route Traffic Control Centers. Duffy said FAA technicians were investigating the issue. The agency had earlier reported serious air traffic control communications issues at Dulles International Airport.
As the ground stop became a multi-hour ordeal, passengers were deplaned and boarding areas filled at airports including JFK International in New York City, McGhee Tyson Airport and Logan International Airport. Flight boards showed delays across major airports. Transportation officials had not said why they issued the ground stop.