On Friday, November 13, 2026, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered a nationwide ground stop around 3:30–3:54 p.m. ET after a technical problem disrupted communications and radar feeds at air traffic control facilities. The order, issued out of an abundance of caution for safety reasons, halted nearly all departing flights across the United States for more than four hours—the longest such nationwide halt since the September 11, 2001 attacks. Approximately 3,500 aircraft already airborne landed safely, with no injuries or compromises to passenger safety.
The disruption stemmed from instability in the FAA’s legacy telecommunications network (FTI). Data flooded the system at a rate of roughly 1,000 connection attempts every 4–5 seconds, causing inconsistencies in aircraft communications and radar. Initial investigation pointed to sites including a radar facility in Amarillo, Texas, and a radio communications site in El Dorado, Arkansas, where FAA contractor L3Harris was performing routine work upgrading from copper wiring to fiber and deploying a new router. When issues arose, the contractor blocked the problematic locations and disabled certain broadcasting functions on similar routers, stabilizing the network. Officials, including FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, stated there was no evidence of a cyberattack, nefarious activity, or AI involvement. The ground stop was lifted around 8:15 p.m. ET the same day once stability was confirmed.
The impact was severe. Airlines canceled roughly 9,000–12,500 flights on Friday alone (with major carriers accounting for the bulk), and total cancellations across Friday and Saturday exceeded 14,000 in some reports, alongside thousands of delays. Major hubs such as Chicago O’Hare, Atlanta, and others saw heavy disruption. Recovery has been gradual as airlines reposition aircraft and crews; officials expected full schedule integrity by the end of Sunday, November 15, though some residual cancellations and delays persisted into the weekend. This was the first nationwide ground stop since a 2023 FAA computer system issue.
The incident has renewed attention on the aging U.S. air traffic control infrastructure. Duffy and others have highlighted the need for modernization, with calls for substantial funding (tens of billions of dollars) to replace outdated systems. The FAA continues investigating with L3Harris and has taken precautionary steps, such as disabling similar router functions elsewhere, while affirming that it is safe to fly.
Travelers were advised to check flight status via airline apps or sites like FlightAware and nasstatus.faa.gov, as recovery continued into the weekend ahead of busy holiday travel.
SOURCES:
FAA router in middle-of-nowhere Arkansas identified as cause of nationwide flight chaos
Nationwide Ground Stop: Questions and Answers | Federal Aviation Administration
L3Harris routers probed in FAA nationwide ground stop
FAA ground stop live updates: Air travel expected to recover by end of Sunday, FAA chief says – ABC News
Flights expected to return to normal by Sunday night after nationwide ground stop, FAA says. Here’s what to know – CBS News
US nationwide ground stop lifted | Flightradar24 Blog
US air travel disruptions to persist until late on Sunday, FAA head says | Reuters
Here’s What Officials Say Caused the FAA’s Nationwide Ground Stop – Business Insider
FAA ground stop live updates: Thousands of flights delayed, canceled; Officials expect air travel to recover by end of Sunday – ABC13 Houston
