FAA Grounds All US Flights Amid Nationwide Communication Outage

Image: a screenshot from the FAA, which reads: "EVENT TIME: 13/2053 - 14/0400 DUE TO EXTRAORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCES AND FOR REASONS OF SAFETY. ATTENTION ALL AIRCRAFT OPERATORS, BY ORDER OF THE FEDERAL AVIATION COMMAND CENTER ALL AIRPORTS ARE GROUND STOPPED. AL · Source

The FAA has halted all departures across the US due to communication failures affecting multiple air traffic control centers, citing safety concerns and ongoing equipment outage.

On November 13, 2026, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an unprecedented ground stop for all departing flights in the United States, citing "extraordinary circumstances" and safety concerns stemming from a widespread equipment outage. The FAA's website temporarily went offline, displaying a notice of technical difficulties, reflecting the severity of the disruption.

The Air Traffic Control System Command Center (ATCSCC) alerted carriers that no aircraft could depart from gates until further notice, while inbound international flights would be handled individually. The FAA spokesperson told TechCrunch that the ground stop was initiated following communication problems impacting multiple Air Route Traffic Control Centers, key facilities managing US airspace.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed that FAA technicians were actively investigating the incident. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin indicated there was currently no evidence of malicious activity but cautioned that resolving the outage could require significant time.

This incident coincides with the recent rollout of an AI-driven tool designed to assist air traffic controllers in optimizing flight paths to reduce fuel consumption and time. However, no direct link between the AI implementation and the current outage has been established.

The event marks a major disruption to US air travel, highlighting vulnerabilities in critical aviation communication infrastructure and prompting extensive investigations into the cause and resolution of the outage.