FAA grounds all U.S. flights nationwide amid air traffic control outage
Key Points(5)
- The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered a nationwide ground stop at all U.S.
- airports on Friday, November 13, following a major communications failure affecting air traffic control centers across the country.
- The rare directive prevents aircraft from taking off until further notice, while flights already airborne are permitted to land.
- International flights arriving in the United States are being managed on a case-by-case basis.
- The FAA said the order was issued due to "extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety." U.S.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered a nationwide ground stop at all U.S. airports on Friday, November 13, following a major communications failure affecting air traffic control centers across the country.
The rare directive prevents aircraft from taking off until further notice, while flights already airborne are permitted to land. International flights arriving in the United States are being managed on a case-by-case basis.
The FAA said the order was issued due to "extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety."
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed that communications problems were affecting all 22 regional air traffic control centers responsible for directing aircraft between airports.
"The FAA issued a nationwide ground stop for all U.S. airports following a communication issue impacting all Air Route Traffic Control Centers. FAA technicians are investigating the issue. We will provide immediate updates as we have them," Duffy said.
The disruption has affected thousands of flights nationwide. According to CBS News, flight-tracking website FlightAware reported at least 8,000 delays and 400 cancellations as of Friday afternoon.
Major airports, including those in Miami, Atlanta, New York, Boston and Los Angeles, have reported disruptions, raising concerns for travelers connecting through U.S. aviation hubs.
The nationwide suspension could also affect passengers traveling between South Florida and the Caribbean, although the extent of disruptions to individual routes has not yet been confirmed.
The ground stop follows communications problems at Chicago's O'Hare and Midway international airports earlier Friday.
This marks the first nationwide ground stop since January 2023, when a malfunction in an FAA computer system temporarily halted domestic departures. Before that, a nationwide shutdown occurred following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Authorities have not announced when normal flight operations will resume. Travelers are advised to check directly with their airlines for the latest information on delays, cancellations and rescheduling.
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