Los Angeles LAX brought to standstill.
Credit: Rosemarie Mosteller – Shutterstock
The Federal Aviation Administration has ordered a nationwide ground stop on all US departures after a communications failure hit Air Route Traffic Control Centers.
The order, issued “due to extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety,” means no flights may depart for any American airport until further notice. Aircraft already airborne are being allowed to continue to their destinations, while inbound international flights are being managed on a case-by-case basis. In short, no planes are in the air over the US.
BREAKING Immediate nationwide ground stop until further notice due to FAA equipment outage https://t.co/3u3X8Y3Gv9
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— AIRLIVE (@airlivenet) November 13, 2026
No complete reason as yet for extraordinary alert
According to the official FAA advisory, the ground stop covers all airports. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed the measure followed a communication issue affecting every Air Route Traffic Control Center. Technicians are investigating, but there is still no clear timeline for when normal operations will resume.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed the stop followed a communication issue impacting all Air Route Traffic Control Centers; FAA technicians are investigating.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin described it as a telecommunications outage. Preliminary reports and officials say there is no indication of a cyberattack or national-security threat at this stage (though investigations continue). Mullin also said the outage is not connected to the earlier Microsoft 365 disruption. President Trump has been briefed.
BREAKING: The FAA has ordered a nationwide ground stop, halting departures across the United States after radio frequency and radar outages affected several air traffic control centers and terminal facilities.
The stop applies to all centers and destinations and is expected to remain in effect until at least 5:00 PM Eastern. Earlier, flights were halted at Chicago’s O’Hare and Midway airports. The cause of the outages is not yet known.
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) November 13, 2026
Knock-on effects expected to be huge
The stop is expected to create significant knock-on delays once it is lifted, as aircraft and crews end up out of position. Travellers heading to or from the United States, or connecting through American hubs, are being advised to check with their airlines before going to the airport.
WATCH: Pilot informs passengers of a 7-hour nationwide ground stop as approximately 3,100 aircraft remain airborne. The shutdown is the first nationwide ground stop since 9/11. https://t.co/0bpNWGbfpU
— Scope Report (@ScopeReport_) November 13, 2026
For many with flights booked to or from the States, and thise planning trips that involve US connections, the timing is awkward. Recent months have already brought several aviation headaches on European routes, including UK air traffic control failures that delayed Spain-bound flights and a Gatwick runway incident that briefly halted departures, including those to Spain.
Anyone with travel plans involving the United States is advised to monitor airline updates closely. The FAA has not yet given a restart time, and further delays are likely even after the ground stop is lifted.
This is a developing story.
Flightradar24 live blog related to the FAA’s nationwide ground stop affecting all flights that began at 20:54 UTC. https://t.co/Gvi82hCQx4 https://t.co/X9kfehwZ5j
— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) November 13, 2026