A communications problem is reportedly affecting Air Route Traffic control centers.A communications problem is reportedly affecting Air Route Traffic control centers.Nov 13, 2026, 9:38 PM UTCNEW YORK, NY – JUNE 3: Delta Airlines planes at the gate as a United Airlines plane lands at LaGuardia Airport (LGA) on June 3, 2026 in New York City. Jet fuel prices have roughly doubled since the start of the war in Iran, and airlines around the world have been cutting routes, raising fares, adding fuel surcharges and boosting baggage fees. (Photo by Al Drago/Getty Images)Getty ImagesTakeoffs from airports throughout the US paused on Friday after the FAA issued a national ground stop “due to extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety,” while planes in the air will be allowed to land. US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy tweeted:The FAA issued a nationwide ground stop for all U.S. airports following a communication issue impacting all Air Route Traffic Control Centers. FAA technicians are investigating the issue. We will provide immediate updates as we have them.Jon Ostrower of The Air Current reports that the FAA has said to airlines that the stop is “due to several impacts to ATC Frequencies and/or Radar capabilities.” The flight tracking site FlightAware lists 7,884 US flights as delayed as of 4:56PM ET.According to CNN, the last time there was a nationwide ground stop was in 2023 when a pilot notification system went down, and the last one prior to that was after the attacks on September 11th, 2001. CNN also reports that unnamed law enforcement sources have said that preliminary reports suggest there’s no cyberattack responsible.Developing…Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.Richard LawlerThe Verge DailyA free daily digest of the news that matters most.Email (required)By providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy. We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
FAA ground stop shuts down flights nationwide
