The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a rare nationwide ground stop Friday for all airports due to a telecommunications outage impacting air traffic control systems. The disruption led to the cancellation of over 1,000 flights and widespread delays across the country.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin confirmed the issue was a "telecommunications outage" and stated there was no evidence to suggest a "nefarious attack." The FAA's alert cited "extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety" as the justification for the ground stop.

Flight Disruptions and Airline Responses

As of Friday evening, FlightAware reported that 1,913 flights had been canceled and 10,494 flights were delayed nationwide. These numbers were expected to continue rising as the situation persisted.

Major airlines began offering travel waivers and advisories in response. Delta allowed passengers to change flights at no extra cost for Friday and Saturday. United offered similar flexibility, waiving change fees and fare differences for rebookings made between November 12 and November 20, provided the new flight was on United and booked for the same itinerary.

Passengers look at departures and arrivals boards at Logan international airport after the US Federal Aviation Administration issued a national ground stop "due to extraordinary circumstances and reasons for safety" following the agency's earlier report of serious air traffic control communications issues, in East Boston, Massachussetts, Nov. 13, 2026.

System Updates and Contractor Statements

While the FAA worked to recover its systems, some flights were gradually allowed to depart through coordination with the air traffic control system command center. The agency indicated that the ground stop remained in effect.

AirSpace Intel, the contractor responsible for the SMART AI system being rolled out at various facilities, issued a statement clarifying that their system was not the cause of the ground stop. "The current ground stop is not based on or a result of the SMART system, any product of ASI or our integration with FAA and ATC," the company stated.

A plane lands after the US Federal Aviation Administration issued a national ground stop "due to extraordinary circumstance and reasons for safety" following the agency's earlier report of serious air traffic control communications issues at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, Nov. 13, 2026.

Passengers line up at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport after the US Federal Aviation Administration issued a national ground stop "due to extraordinary circumstances and reasons for safety" following the agency's earlier report of serious air traffic control communications issues, in SeaTac, Washington, Nov. 13, 2026.

View of the control tower after the US Federal Aviation Administration issued a national ground stop "due to extraordinary circumstances and reasons for safety" following the agency's earlier report of serious air traffic control communications issues, at Newark Liberty International Airport, in Newark, New Jersey, Nov. 13, 2026.