US flights grounded nationwide: what failed at all 22 air traffic control centres?

The Federal Aviation Administration ordered a nationwide ground stop on all departing flights Friday, November 13, 2026, citing "extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety." The cause was communications problems affecting all 22 regional Air Route Traffic Control Centers — the facilities that direct planes en route between airports.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said FAA technicians were investigating. "We will provide immediate updates as we have them," he said. The FAA described the issue as affecting "multiple" centers; Duffy said it touched all 22.

Flights already in the air may continue to their destinations. Inbound international flights will be managed case by case. Departing traffic is grounded until further notice.

Shortly before the nationwide order, both Chicago airports — O'Hare and Midway — were on ground stop alerts due to an equipment outage. An internal Alaska Airlines message cited communications and radar problems.

Airline stocks fell before Friday's close. American, Southwest, JetBlue, Delta, and United all declined. Hundreds of flights were disrupted.

The last nationwide ground stop was in January 2023, when the FAA's NOTAM system failed and pilots could not get pre-departure paperwork. Before that, the halt came after the September 11, 2001 attacks.

A nationwide ground stop is among the most disruptive actions the FAA can take. It exposes how dependent the U.S. aviation system is on a single communications layer between regional control centers. For travelers, delays and cancellations can cascade for days. For the infrastructure itself, the failure raises questions about redundancy in the systems that keep planes moving safely.