US air traffic system overload sparks nationwide ground stop

UPDATE - follow-up to Trump administration blames 'overloaded' systems for ground stop after FAA lets flights resume: New technology added to the United States air traffic control system overloaded older equipment and caused intermittent communications and radar gaps on Friday, November 13, 2026. This technical failure led to the longest nationwide ground stop in 25 years, halting most departures from American airports for a five-hour period.

Impact

Thousands of flights and potentially over a million travellers were affected from coast to coast. Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin stated that no passengers were in danger as more than 3,000 aircraft landed safely, though Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy noted he could not guarantee the issue would not happen again. Officials reported that at least 827 flights were diverted, with 670 sent back to their origin airports and 157 redirected elsewhere. Cirium data showed that airports including Washington Dulles, Los Angeles, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky, and Nashville received many of these diverted planes. Major sports teams from the NBA, NHL, and college leagues were stranded, while cargo operators like FedEx prepared contingency plans. Stranded passengers such as Amber McQuilkin and Austin Curtis faced uncertain delays and difficult travel decisions at airports like Chicago O'Hare.

Recovery

Domestic flights began departing on Friday evening after the ground stop was lifted. Officials warned that it would take days for airlines to fully recover because many planes and crews were out of position, though they expressed hope the system would return to normal before the Thanksgiving travel rush. Mr. Duffy mentioned that NCAA teams would be prioritized ahead of Saturday football games. Mr. Mullin stated there was no indication of a cyberattack or rogue artificial intelligence incident, noting that no digital footprints pointed to an attack and the failure appeared to be mechanically driven.

Context

The Federal Aviation Administration manages the safe and orderly flow of aircraft across American airspace, relying on both legacy infrastructure and newer digital systems. Major nationwide ground stops are extremely rare, typically occurring only during critical system failures or unprecedented national security events. Integrating modern technology into decades-old aviation networks remains a complex logistical challenge for federal regulators.