Flights across the United States resumed on Friday night after a four-hour nationwide ground stop caused by a technical issue in the air traffic control communication system. The disruption, which began at 3:54 PM Eastern Time on Friday, November 13, 2026, and was lifted at 8:15 PM Eastern Time, led to over 10,000 flights being delayed and more than 4,000 cancelled, according to FlightAware.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the US air traffic control system’s regulatory body, had ordered all flights to be halted due to what it described as “extraordinary circumstances and safety reasons.” The incident stranded a large number of passengers at airports nationwide.
US Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy stated that the system was shut down after its routers became overloaded with data, causing them to produce inconsistent information. CBS News reported that an update to the private communication network connecting the US air traffic control system forced a reboot of the infrastructure, which subsequently caused the system to crash. This network is operated by L3Harris Technologies.
US Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said there was no indication of an attack on the United States following the incident, assuring the public that it was not another September 11, 2001, event. US President Donald Trump also told Fox News that the problem did not appear to be caused by a cyberattack or artificial intelligence (AI). Mullin also dismissed claims that the issue was related to a Microsoft system outage that occurred the previous day.
This is the third nationwide ground stop in US air service since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Robert L. Sumwalt, executive director of the Boeing Center for Aviation and Aerospace Safety at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and an aviation safety analyst for CBS News, noted that such a widespread disruption to US flights had not occurred since the 2001 attacks.
Air Canada announced that all flights between the US and Canada were cancelled until Friday evening. Nav Canada, which operates Canada’s civil air navigation system, confirmed that its systems were operating normally and were unaffected by the disruption.
Concerns have long been raised about the outdated infrastructure of the US air traffic control system and the need for its modernization. Last year, Congress approved $12.5 billion for modernization efforts, and the White House and the Department of Transportation have requested an additional $30.1 billion for upgrades to US airports and air traffic control systems.
Background
- In January 2023, a malfunction in the FAA's Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) system caused a 90-minute nationwide ground stop.
- On November 10, 2026, the FAA expanded its AI-powered air traffic management system, Strategic Management of Airspace, Routes and Trajectories (SMART), to all air centers.
What happens next
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stated that efforts would be made to operate as many flights as possible on Friday night, and if not, work would continue with airline partners from Saturday morning. Duffy expressed confidence that flights would be operational during the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday travel rush.
