FAA Halts All US Flights After Communications Failure

A nationwide ground stop on November 13, 2026 followed a communications breakdown across several air traffic control centers, with some flights delayed up to 240 minutes.

Updated on Nov. 13, 2026 in Air Travel

Empty runway stretching toward the horizon on a flat plain beneath an overcast sky, with a distant control tower silhouetted at its end. — The FAA halted all U.S. flights nationwide on November 13, 2026, after a communications failure across several air traffic control centers delayed some flights up to 240 minutes. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Live Poll

Do you think air travel is getting less reliable for everyday travelers?

The Federal Aviation Administration issued a nationwide ground stop of all U.S. flights at approximately 1 p.m. PST on November 13, 2026, after a communications failure affecting multiple Air Route Traffic Control Centers. Some flights were delayed up to 240 minutes.

Why it matters

The ground stop halted departures across the country, underscoring how dependent the national air system is on its communications links. Officials are now examining the cause, including whether artificial intelligence played any role.

Some flights were held for as long as 240 minutes, or about four hours. The FAA's last comparable nationwide halt was in January 2023.

The players

Markwayne Mullin

Markwayne Mullin is the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, a cabinet-level official overseeing the department's federal security and emergency responsibilities.

Federal Aviation Administration

The Federal Aviation Administration is the U.S. agency responsible for regulating and overseeing civil aviation and the national air traffic control system.

The details

The disruption began with a communications breakdown spanning several Air Route Traffic Control Centers, and once those links faltered, the FAA halted departures nationwide. DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin attributed the outage to telecommunications issues and said there were no immediate links to a cyberattack or terrorism, but he added that artificial intelligence cannot be excluded as a cause, noting the FAA has recently rolled out AI-powered flight-routing tools.

January 2023: The last comparable nationwide ground stop, traced to a NOTAM system failure caused by an accidental file deletion.
November 13, 2026, approximately 1 p.m. PST: The FAA issued a nationwide ground stop after the communications failure.

Roadmap

The last nationwide halt of U.S. flights came in January 2023, when a NOTAM system failure caused by an accidental file deletion forced a similar shutdown. The November 2026 event revives questions about how the FAA's infrastructure and newly deployed AI routing tools are tested before they are relied on.

Travelers with connections should check their airline's status before heading to the airport, since ground stops can cascade into long delays. Passengers facing a delay should ask their carrier about rebooking options as soon as possible.

The takeaway

Nationwide flight halts can stem from a single failed link, so travelers should build buffer time into connections and monitor flight status when systems are under strain.