FAA issues nationwide grounding of all planes

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a rare nationwide ground stop for all departing flights across the United States on Friday, November 13, due to a major communications outage affecting regional air traffic control centers.

Travelers across the country are facing widespread delays as a telecommunications and equipment outage disrupts operations at Air Route Traffic Control Centers. Reports indicate the issue started at the Kansas City Center before spreading. The FAA and aviation officials are working to resolve the technical failure and restore normal airspace operations.

During the ground stop, all departing domestic flights nationwide are barred from taking off. Flights that are already airborne are permitted to remain in the air and land safely, while inbound international flights are being handled on a case-by-case basis. Thousands of flights have already been delayed or stranded at airports across the country.

This marks only the third nationwide ground stop in decades, following previous halts on September 11, 2001, and in January 2023. Travelers can check real-time national airspace updates on the FAA Airspace System Status page or monitor live delay data via FlightAware.