Live updates: FAA says nationwide ground stop due to 'temporary telecommunications outage'
A nationwide ground stop has been issued by the Federal Aviation Administration on Friday.
Delayed flights line up in Terminal B during a nationwide ground stop at Orlando International Airport on November 13, 2026 in Orlando City. Nearly 7,000 flights have been delayed or cancelled. (Photo by Finn Gomez/Getty Images)
Nationwide ground stop issued
What we know:
In its latest post to X, the FAA stated there was a "temporary telecommunications outage" and out of an abundance of caution, all flights have been halted.
An earlier advisory posted to the FAA website read:
"DCC has implemented extended flight plan drop times to 240 minutes for all enroute centers due to nationwide comms failure."
FILE - Advisory issued on the FAA website on Nov. 13, 2026. (Federal Aviation Administration advisory website)
An initial advisory posted on Friday stated:
"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."
Sec. Markwayne Mullin gives update on FAA ground stop
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin addresses the media after the FAA orders a nationwide ground stop at airports.
Not ‘another 9/11’
What they're saying:
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullins assured reporters that the ground stop issuance was not because Americans' safety were at risk.
"We have a ground stoppage, we still got to get the flights out. Right. And so we're going to be dealing with those case by case. I think he said specific. It's a telecommunication outage. I'm not going to get ahead of FAA. That's their lane to talk about. We were wanting to assure all the American people this isn't a safety to the American people or another 9/11 I think that's what a lot of people are trying to make the comparison to, and that's not the case," he said
Mullin said they are able to communicate "at certain levels. But it’s overwhelmed some of the systems we have."
Mullin said flights are continuing to land during the stoppage and that, for now, officials are working to "make sure" that "we get the flights down and then we get a normal operations back up."
What we don't know:
There was no timeline given for how long until the issue will be resolved.
Amtrak website and app experience error messages
As customers are scrambling to find ways to get home, Amtrak's website and app have been inundated with stranded travelers trying to get tickets.
Airlines issuing waivers
Local perspective:
Airlines around the country received advisories regarding the nationwide ground stop and are issuing waivers to travlers.
United Airlines
"The FAA has issued a nationwide ground stop. New domestic flights will not depart while the FAA ground stop remains in place. International departures are being managed on a case-by-case basis by the FAA. United flights that are already airborne will continue, but diversions are occurring due to the number of airplanes on the ground at our hubs. Cancellations are being implemented due to congestion in the nation’s air traffic system. We have issued a travel waiver so customers can change their travel plans. Customers can check the latest status of their flights or rebook at united.com or the United app And throughout the evening we will continue to update our.com with statements you can use as well."
Delta
US nationwide ground stop history
The backstory:
This is the first nationwide ground stop since January 2023, when a key FAA computer system malfunctioned.
Before that the last time had been after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
What is a ground stop?
Unlike a ground delay, a ground stop is usually a temporary advisory but tends to be more serious because of the ripple effects it can have on flights.
Ground stops completely halt planes from taking off.
The most common reasons for a ground stop according to the FAA are:
- To control air traffic volume to airports when the projected traffic demand is expected to exceed the airport's acceptance rate for a short period of time.
- To temporarily stop traffic to allow time for the implementation of a longer-term solution, such as a Ground Delay Program.
- The affected airport's acceptance rate has been reduced to zero.
Like ground delays, weather can be a factor for a ground stop.
Ground stop alerts will contain the three-letter airport code where the ground stop is occurring and the reason for the ground stop.
The Source: Information for this article was taken from an FAA advisory issued on Nov. 13, 2026, a tweet posted by Transportation Sec. Sean Duffy, and emailed statements from the FAA, United Airlines, and Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, Georgia. Previous reporting by FOX Weather and The Associated Press also contributed to this report. This story was reported from San Jose.