FAA Lifts Nationwide Ground Stop After Telecom Outage, Flights Resume
The Federal Aviation Administration lifted its nationwide ground stop on Friday evening, allowing departures to resume after a telecommunications outage halted flights across the United States for about four and a half hours.
The FAA canceled the stop around 8:15 p.m. EST on Friday, November 13, ending a freeze that began at about 3:54 p.m. EST and grounded every departing flight in the country. The agency said departures would resume gradually, but warned that widespread delays and cancellations would continue into the weekend as airlines repositioned aircraft and crews.
What happened
The FAA imposed the nationwide ground stop through its Air Traffic Control System Command Center, citing “extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety.” The order followed a communications failure affecting all 22 Air Route Traffic Control Centers, the regional facilities that direct planes en route between airports.
The agency described the problem as a “temporary telecommunications outage.” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said older telecommunications equipment had become overloaded with data, producing inconsistent information at air traffic control facilities. Problems were first reported at the Chicago air traffic control center before spreading to facilities in Boston, Washington, New York and Minneapolis.
Investigators are examining whether a network update or maintenance action on a telecommunications network overseen by defense contractor L3Harris Technologies triggered a reboot that crashed the system, according to CBS News and The Wall Street Journal, citing people briefed on the matter. The FAA has not confirmed that account as the cause, and the underlying cause remains under investigation.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said there was no indication yet that the outage was a nefarious act or a cyberattack, though investigators have not ruled one out. “Everybody’s safe. There’s no reason to be concerned about your loved ones if they’re flying,” Mullin said.
Thousands of flights disrupted
The disruption was the largest of its kind in years. FlightAware counted more than 4,800 cancellations and more than 11,000 delays for flights within, into or out of the United States on Friday. At least 827 flights were diverted, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium, with 670 sent back to their departure airports and 157 redirected elsewhere.
About 11,000 flights carrying more than 1.5 million passengers had been scheduled to depart after 4 p.m. EST. Air Canada canceled all of its flights to and from the United States for the remainder of Friday evening. United Airlines and American Airlines said flights already in the air would continue to their destinations.
The stop stranded travelers, sports teams and cargo. NBA, NHL and college teams were left waiting for flights, and NFL teams faced uncertainty about weekend travel. FedEx, the world’s largest cargo airline, said it had activated contingency plans. Despite the ground stop, SpaceX launched its Starship rocket from Texas on Friday afternoon on its latest test flight.
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First nationwide stop since 2023
Friday’s ground stop was the first nationwide halt since January 2023, when a key FAA computer system malfunctioned, and only the second since the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, attacks. Unlike the post-9/11 stop, planes were not ordered to land immediately, and pilots could still communicate with ground controllers at airports.
The outage renewed attention on the FAA’s aging air traffic control infrastructure. Congress approved $12.5 billion last year to modernize the system, replacing miles of old copper wire with fiber-optic lines and upgrading radio systems at airports. Duffy has said another $30 billion will be needed to complete the work.
“It will take us some time to unwind what has happened,” Duffy said at a White House briefing on Friday night.
Why this matters
For travelers, the lift does not mean a return to normal. Airlines issued flexible rebooking waivers for flights on November 13 and 14, and passengers should expect residual delays and cancellations through the weekend as aircraft and crews are moved back into position.
For the FAA, the outage is likely to draw scrutiny from Congress. Lawmakers have already called for hearings into the failure of the communications network, and investigators will examine whether the modernization program is moving fast enough to prevent a repeat.
What happens next
The FAA said it would continue investigating the cause of the outage. Travelers are advised to check with their airlines before heading to the airport, and airlines are expected to waive change fees for affected flights.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did the FAA order a nationwide ground stop?
The FAA halted all departures after a telecommunications outage disrupted communications at all 22 regional air traffic control centers. Controllers could not reliably communicate with pilots, so the agency stopped departures out of an abundance of caution.
How long did the ground stop last?
About four and a half hours. The stop took effect at about 3:54 p.m. EST on Friday, November 13, and was lifted around 8:15 p.m. EST.
Was the outage a cyberattack?
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said there was no indication yet that it was a nefarious act, though investigators have not ruled out a cyberattack. Early reporting points to a network update on a system overseen by L3Harris Technologies, but the FAA has not confirmed the cause.
Are flights back to normal now?
No. Departures have resumed, but FlightAware counted more than 4,800 cancellations and more than 11,000 delays on Friday, and residual disruption is expected to continue into the weekend. Passengers should check their flight status with their airline.
The FAA lifted the nationwide ground stop on Friday evening, but the recovery from one of the most disruptive days in U.S. aviation in years will continue through the weekend — and the investigation into what brought the system down is only beginning.
Sources: Associated Press; CBS News; The Wall Street Journal; FlightAware; Cirium.
