US Lifts Nationwide Ground Stop After Communications Failure Disrupts Air Travel

The Federal Aviation Administration lifted a nationwide ground stop in the United States on Friday, November 13, 2026. The disruption, which lasted approximately four hours, was caused by instability in radar and communications systems that began at 3:36 p.m. Eastern Time. The outage resulted in significant passenger congestion and delays at various airports across the country. U.S. airspace officially reopened at 8:15 p.m. Eastern Time.

Causes and Scale of Disruption

The outage was attributed to overloaded data in switches and routers alongside aging infrastructure, including copper wiring dating from the 1980s. The disruption affected a telecommunications network overseen by L3Harris Technologies, according to Asharq Al-Awsat. This event marks the second such occurrence since the attacks on September 11, 2001, and is the longest shutdown since that date, according to reports from Asharq Al-Awsat and Elaph.

The impact on flight schedules was extensive. While different data sources provided varying figures, FlightRadar24 reported that 6,600 flights were canceled and 8,600 flights were delayed. Other reports indicated that approximately 12,000 total flights were canceled within a two-day period. This disruption occurred during a period of increasing travel demand leading up to the Thanksgiving holiday. Additionally, Eurocontrol issued a warning regarding potential delays for flights traveling to the United States from its 42 member states.

Official Investigations and Responses

The Department of Homeland Security and the National Security Agency are currently investigating the cause of the outage. U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin stated that there is no evidence of a cyberattack or rogue AI involvement.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy noted that the resumption of normal operations will be slow and requires significant funding from Congress. The scale of the required infrastructure upgrades is substantial; the White House and the Department of Transportation have requested $30.1 billion for upgrades, while Secretary Sean Duffy has requested $50 billion to modernize the aviation system.

Context of Aviation Infrastructure

The outage occurred during a week that also saw a separate Microsoft technical outage. The disruption highlights the challenges of managing one of the most congested airspaces in the world. As the holiday travel season approaches, officials continue to monitor the stability of the national aviation network to prevent further widespread cancellations.

Glossary

• ground stop — A ground stop is an action or delay issued by the FAA. It can be issued due to an equipment outage.
• Eastern Time — A time zone used to denote specific times, such as the time of radar and communications system instability.
• L3Harris Technologies — L3Harris Technologies is a company that oversees a telecommunications network.
• September 11, 2001 — A date associated with terrorist attacks. It is used as a reference point for the scale of aviation disruptions.
• Thanksgiving — A holiday that occurs during a period of increasing travel demand.