US Flights Latest: Thousands More Cancelled After FAA Ground Stop – What to Know

Updated 14 Nov 2026, 14:21 · First published 14 Nov 2026

The nationwide ground stop that halted all departures from US airports has been lifted after about four and a half hours. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) cancelled the order at around 8.30pm Eastern time on Friday (1.30am UK time on Saturday), but more than 13,000 flights have been delayed or cancelled and disruption is expected to run into the weekend.

Saturday: thousands more flights cancelled

The disruption has carried into Saturday. More than 2,000 flights were cancelled as airlines tried to get planes and crews back into position after what is being called the longest nationwide ground stop in 25 years. Flightradar24 had already counted more than 4,700 cancellations and around 10,000 delays on Friday.

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Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said it would “take us some time to get back to capacity”. Officials say overloaded switches and routers in the telecoms system serving air traffic control centres caused the outage, and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said no cyberattack was suspected.

If you are flying to or from the US in the next few days, check your flight status with your airline before you leave for the airport.

Latest updates

1.30am – The ground stop has been lifted. The FAA issued an advisory at around 8.30pm Eastern time cancelling the nationwide order, roughly four and a half hours after it began. More than 13,000 flights were delayed or cancelled across the US, and with aircraft and crews out of position, passengers are being warned to expect knock-on delays and cancellations through the weekend. Officials still have not confirmed exactly what caused the failure, which affected the regional centres that guide planes between airports. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said there is no sign of a terrorist attack or deliberate sabotage, and that it is not believed to be linked to this week’s Microsoft outage. Delta and United are waiving change fees for affected passengers – check with your airline before travelling to the airport.

11.30pm – US departures are still grounded more than two and a half hours after the stop began. Nearly 7,000 flights have been delayed or cancelled, according to Reuters. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said there is no reason to believe the outage is “a threat to the United States” and that flights were grounded “out of an abundance of caution”, but added that officials are “not ruling anything out at this point”.

10.02pm – The FAA says there has been “a temporary telecommunications outage” and that all flights were halted “out of an abundance of caution”. It says every flight has been accounted for, and international flights will be handled case by case. The ground stop has not yet been lifted.

There has been a temporary telecommunications outage – out of an abundance of caution all flights have been halted. Every flight has been accounted for and international flights will be handled on a case by case basis.

— The FAA (@FAANews) November 13, 2026

10.15pm – The ground stop is still in place. Flightradar24 says some international flights are being allowed to depart on a case-by-case basis, including an Etihad flight from Boston to Abu Dhabi.

Some international flights are being allowed to depart on a case-by-case basis.

— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) November 13, 2026

9.16pm – US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says the communication issue is affecting all of the country’s Air Route Traffic Control Centers and that FAA technicians are investigating. According to Reuters, it is only the second time US departures have been halted nationwide since the 9/11 attacks – the last, in January 2023, lasted under two hours.

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.

— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) November 13, 2026

What has happened?

The FAA ordered the ground stop at 3.54pm Eastern time, 8.54pm in the UK. Departing aircraft must stay on the ground “until further notice”. Planes already in the air have not been ordered to land straight away.

Flight-tracking service Flightradar24 reported that the order followed an equipment outage, and reports point to problems with radio frequencies used by air traffic controllers. The FAA has not given a detailed cause and has not said how long it will last.

Will it affect flights from the UK?

Flights from the UK and elsewhere heading to the US are being handled case by case, so transatlantic flights tonight may be delayed or held. Passengers due to fly to or from the US should check with their airline before travelling. A ground stop does not automatically mean flights are cancelled, but delays and missed connections are likely.

Is it linked to the Microsoft outage?

There is no official indication that the ground stop is connected to the Microsoft 365 outage that hit Outlook and Teams earlier today. The FAA has not said what caused the problem.

We will update this story as more information comes in.