The Federal Aviation Administration has lifted its nationwide ground stop as of November 13 at 8:16 p.m. Eastern time, after it lasted for an extensive four hours and 22 minutes.
This grounding began at 3:54 p.m. Eastern due to significant communication disruptions that impacted Air Route Traffic Control Centers, which are responsible for managing high-altitude flights. An FAA statement indicated that this measure was taken for safety reasons, limiting all departures until further clarification, while inbound international flights were evaluated individually.
Communication Issues Explained
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy detailed that a communication failure affected the control centers, which the FAA later clarified as a temporary telecommunications outage. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin reassured the public that there were no signs of a malicious attack and described the situation as purely a technical glitch, although ongoing investigations leave all possibilities on the table.
During the ground stop, aircraft already in the air were permitted to continue to their destinations. At the time of the grounding, around 4,042 flights were on their way to U.S. airports. Some flights from the West Coast to Hawaii and Asia were released early, along with select international operations.
Disruption Scale and Impact
Flight-tracking data revealed the extent of the chaos. By early evening, nearly 5,000 flights were canceled, with that number rising above 5,000 as the stoppage continued, resulting in about 10,000 total delays and roughly 600 diverted flights. Major airports such as Chicago O’Hare, Atlanta, and various New York-area locations bore the brunt of the cancellations.
Airlines moved to adjust their schedules; JetBlue canceled all remaining flights on Friday, except for select routes to Europe from New York and Boston. United Airlines also shelved most domestic flights, saving a few international, while Air Canada halted all Friday flights connecting Canada and the U.S. More cancellations loomed for Saturday.
BREAKING: FAA says nationwide ground stop has been lifted; all flights can resume with their departures. pic.twitter.com/t3ZAvPFeS6
— Scope Report (@ScopeReport_) November 14, 2026
The FAA Command Center released Advisory 005 at around 8:19 p.m. Eastern, confirming that the nationwide ground stop was officially over. While this cancellation covers all destination airports, normal operations remain elusive. Departures are now resuming cautiously, requiring coordination with air traffic control and compliance with specific protocols.
Although the nationwide stop is lifted, some regional restrictions and spacing measures will remain as air traffic centers stabilize. Ground delays at several key airports, including LaGuardia, Boston, Las Vegas, San Diego, and San Francisco, were called off shortly after the nationwide order ceased.
As airlines rush to restore normalcy, aircraft and crew members are still out of their intended positions. This often leads to further delays and cancellations as operators reposition resources and adhere to crew duty-time mandates.
Experts and airline representatives suggest that disruptions could carry over into Saturday and possibly beyond, urging travelers to consult their airlines directly for real-time updates rather than relying on itineraries established before the ground stop.
Officials from the Trump Administration are anticipated to provide more insights regarding the outage and the path toward regular airport operations in a forthcoming White House press conference on Friday evening.
