Flights halted at airports across US due to air traffic control communications problems, FAA says

Flights halted at airports across US due 'due to extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety,' FAA says Advertisement Updated: 4:51 PM EST Nov 13, 2026 Editorial Standards ⓘ Associated Press National Desk Staff By Flights halted at airports across US due 'due to extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety,' FAA says Updated: 4:51 PM EST Nov 13, 2026 Editorial Standards ⓘ Associated Press National Desk Staff By The Federal Aviation Administration grounded all flights nationwide Friday afternoon because of communications problems at regional air traffic control centers. The FAA notice said the ground stop was being imposed "due to extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety." Advertisement Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said there is a communications issue affecting the 22 regional air traffic control centers that direct planes en route between airports nationwide. He said FAA technicians are investigating. This is the first nationwide ground stop since January 2023, when a key FAA computer system malfunctioned. Before that, the last time had been after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Flight tracking data shows more than 3,000 planes were in the air in the U.S. or headed to the U.S. at the time the ground stop was issued. The government has been working to overhaul the outdated technology that air traffic controllers rely on since Congress approved $12.5 billion for the project last year. Miles of old copper wires have been replaced with fiber optic lines, and old radio systems are gradually being replaced at airports across the country. But much work remains. Duffy has said that another $30 billion will be needed to complete the work, and the White House has begun lobbying Congress to approve it. Emergency order issued Boston Logan International Airport confirmed it was subject to the emergency order. "We are monitoring the situation and working with the FAA and our airline partners. Passengers should check with their airlines for the latest flight updates," airport officials wrote in a statement . An earlier advisory focused on Chicago O'Hare indicated flights were grounded due to an equipment outage, but the message noted that it affects departures leaving from every air traffic control zone in the nation. An alert for Boston noted delays applied to all departures. This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates. Air travel across US thrown into chaos after FAA computer outage Make WLWT a preferred source on Google Add Preferred Source Share Infinite Scroll Enabled Top Picks Flights halted at airports across US due to air traffic control communications problems, FAA says Rescues underway after tanker collides with cruise ship on Mississippi River Microsoft apologizes for massive outage that caused global disruption WATCH: Historic SS United States completes its final voyage – at the bottom of the Gulf