BREAKING: FAA Orders Nationwide Ground Stop at All U.S. Airports After Air Traffic Control Communications Failure

BREAKING — Friday, November 13, 2026

The Federal Aviation Administration has ordered a nationwide ground stop at every U.S. airport, halting all departing flights after a communications failure hit the nation’s en-route air traffic control centers. The order took effect at 3:54 p.m. Eastern (2:54 p.m. Central) Friday afternoon.

The advisory from the FAA’s Air Traffic Control System Command Center read: “Due to extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety. Attention all aircraft operators, by order of the Federal Aviation Command Center all airports are ground stopped. All departing traffic should remain ground stopped until further notice. Inbound international flights will be managed on a case by case basis.”

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What caused it

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on social media that the FAA “issued a nationwide ground stop for all U.S. airports following a communication issue impacting all Air Route Traffic Control Centers,” adding that FAA technicians are investigating and updates will follow.

Trouble surfaced shortly before the national order. Radio and frequency outages were reported first at individual centers, including Kansas City Center and the Chicago area, where O’Hare and Midway were stopped for equipment and communications problems, before spreading across the system. Pilots in the air reported frequency and radio issues as the outage widened. The FAA has not yet released an official root cause.

What it means for travelers

• Nothing departs. Aircraft on the ground at U.S. airports are being held. Flights already airborne are being allowed to continue to their destinations.
• International arrivals inbound to the U.S. are being handled case by case.
• No firm end time. The FAA says “until further notice.” Even once the stop is lifted, expect cancellations, diversions, and crews and aircraft out of position well into the weekend.

Tips for non-rev and interline travelers

• Expect open seats to disappear fast. Revenue passengers from cancelled flights will be reaccommodated first, so standby lists Friday evening, Saturday and Sunday are likely to be heavy.
• Check your carrier’s employee travel site and listing tools often, and have a backup plan: alternate airports, other carriers through ZED/interline agreements, or a later travel date.
• If you are stuck at an outstation, plan for an overnight. Hotel rooms near major hubs tend to sell out quickly during system-wide disruptions.
• Working crew and airline employees should watch for company notices about schedule changes and reassignments.

How rare is this?

A nationwide ground stop is extremely unusual. The last one came on January 11, 2023, when an outage of the FAA’s NOTAM (Notice to Air Missions) system paused domestic departures for about two hours. Before that, the only other nationwide halt followed the September 11, 2001 attacks.

This is a developing story. NonRev Travel News will update as the FAA releases more information. Check live airport status at nasstatus.faa.gov.