US Flights Grounded Nationwide After FAA Communication Outage; Airlines Warn Of Widespread Travel Disruptions

The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grounded flights nationwide after communication problems at regional air traffic control centres, according to an official notice.

The notice stated that a nationwide ground stop was being imposed on Friday afternoon (local time) "due to extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety". US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, in a post on X, confirmed that the issue was being examined by the aviation regulator. "FAA technicians are investigating the issue," he said.

The @FAAnews 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.

— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) November 13, 2026

US media outlets reported that the FAA had earlier issued an advisory citing "extraordinary circumstances" and "reasons of safety" as the basis for the nationwide ground stop, describing the decision as an unusual and rare measure. The advisory instructed airlines and aircraft operators to keep departing flights on the ground until further notice. "All departing traffic should remain ground stopped until further notice," it said, adding that "inbound international flights will be managed on a case by case basis".

First Nationwide Halt Since 2023

The nationwide ground stop marked the first such action since January 2023, when a malfunction in a key FAA computer system disrupted flight operations across the country. Before that, the last nationwide ground stop had been imposed following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

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Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin said there was no indication at that stage that the communication disruption was the result of a deliberate attack. "This was a nefarious attack against us. It's just a telecommunications outage," he said, while indicating that officials had not found evidence of any malicious activity.

Airlines Issue Statement On X

Several airlines issued statements on X, assuring passengers that flights which were already airborne would continue operating despite the ground stop. United Airlines said that while its domestic flights would not be departing during the disruption, international departures would be handled separately under the FAA's directions. "International departures are being managed on a case-by-case basis by the FAA," the airline said.

The FAA has issued a nationwide ground stop affecting all airports.

United flights that are already airborne will continue. New domestic flights will not depart while the ground stop remains in place. International departures are being managed on a case-by-case basis by the…

— United Airlines (@united) November 13, 2026

The FAA has temporarily paused departures nationwide. Flights already in the air can continue to their destinations. We expect disruption to our schedule for the rest of the day, depending on the length of the FAA’s nationwide ground stop.

It will be all hands on deck across…

— americanair (@AmericanAir) November 13, 2026

American Airlines, meanwhile, warned that passengers could face disruptions throughout the remainder of the day as a result of the nationwide restriction. "It will be all hands on deck across American to get customers on their way as soon as possible when the FAA lifts this nationwide ground stop," the airline said in a statement. According to the FAA notification, the ground stop order was scheduled to remain in effect until at least 11 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on Friday.

(Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)

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