US Flights Resume Following Nationwide Ground Stop Due to Tech Failure

Flights across the United States are set to restart after being grounded nationwide for nearly five hours due to a telecommunications outage affecting air traffic control centres. The Federal Aviation Administration halted all departures at 3:54 p.m. local time on Friday, November 13, 2026, citing extraordinary circumstances and safety reasons.

Travel Chaos

The shutdown triggered widespread travel confusion, leaving tens of thousands of passengers stranded in airports from New York to Las Vegas. Some travellers were pulled off planes just moments before departure by airline staff. In response to the disruption, Britain, France, Germany, and most other European countries temporarily suspended all air journeys heading to the US. President Donald Trump blamed the incident on outdated infrastructure, stating the chaos was caused by "some old, broken stuff."

Official Response

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin stated there was no sign of a threat to the country, noting that officials were treating it as a telecommunication issue while keeping all options open. The order arrived just a day after US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought asked Congress for $30 billion to upgrade the national air traffic control system. The nationwide alert marked only the second time such a measure has been taken in US airspace since the 9/11 attacks, following a much shorter halt in January 2023 caused by a pilot notification system failure.

Context

Air traffic control relies heavily on complex telecommunication networks to guide planes safely across busy airspace. When core systems fail, aviation authorities routinely issue total ground stops to prevent mid-air risks until normal communication links are restored.