Air travel across the United States faced widespread disruption on Friday, November 13, after a communication failure in the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) air traffic control network forced authorities to ground departing flights nationwide. The unprecedented move affected major airports, disrupted airline schedules and left thousands of passengers stranded, with some travellers facing long waits on aircraft and at terminals.
The nationwide flight restrictions were imposed as a safety precaution after a telecommunications outage affected regional air traffic control centres responsible for managing aircraft movements across the country. The FAA described the situation as an extraordinary circumstance and ordered airports to suspend departures until communication systems could be stabilised.
The ground stop was subsequently lifted on Friday evening after several hours. However, the restoration of normal flight operations was expected to take longer, as airlines had to reorganise aircraft, flight crews and passenger schedules.
US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the communication failure was linked to an ageing air traffic control system that became overloaded with data. Old network switches and routers reportedly struggled to process information, resulting in inconsistent data transmission and intermittent communication and radar failures.
The problem affected multiple air traffic control facilities, raising concerns about the ability of controllers to communicate reliably with pilots and coordinate aircraft movements. The disruption reportedly spread across all 22 regional air route traffic control centres.
According to officials, the combination of new technology and outdated infrastructure contributed to the problem. The overloaded equipment disrupted the flow of information needed to maintain safe and orderly air traffic operations.
Rather than risk operating with unreliable communication systems, the FAA decided to halt departures across the country. Aircraft that were already airborne were allowed to continue towards their destinations and land safely.
The FAA later confirmed that its technicians had tested the systems thoroughly before allowing departures to resume. Transportation Secretary Duffy said US airspace reopened at around 8.15 pm Eastern Time on Friday, but cautioned that restoring normal operations would take time.
The disruption affected a significant portion of the US aviation network, with consequences extending beyond domestic travel. According to aviation analytics firm Cirium, around 11,000 flights carrying more than 1.5 million passengers were scheduled to depart from US airports after 4 pm Eastern Time on Friday.
At least 600 flights were diverted during the disruption, with several aircraft returning to their departure airports while others were redirected to different destinations. Major airports, including Chicago O’Hare, Denver International, Dallas-Fort Worth and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, were among those dealing with diverted flights.
Flight tracking data also indicated more than 4,000 cancellations and over 10,000 delays across the country as the disruption unfolded. The impact was felt by passengers travelling for business, holidays, family visits and other commitments.
Some passengers remained inside aircraft for several hours while waiting for permission to take off or for airport gates to become available. Others faced uncertainty over connecting flights, hotel arrangements and alternative travel plans.
The disruption also affected international aviation. Flights entering US airspace and departures from other countries were handled on a case-by-case basis. Air Canada announced cancellations involving services to and from the US, while flights connecting Canada, the Caribbean and South America through American airspace also faced possible disruptions. European aviation authorities temporarily suspended certain US-bound departures following the FAA’s request.
Cargo operations were affected as well, raising concerns about delays to packages and freight shipments that depend on air transport.
The communication failure raised questions about the security and reliability of the US aviation network. However, American officials said there was no immediate evidence suggesting that the disruption was caused by a cyberattack or deliberate interference.
US President Donald Trump was briefed on the situation, while Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said preliminary assessments did not indicate a national security threat.
Officials also ruled out an established connection between the incident and Microsoft’s recent service disruption. Questions were raised about whether the FAA’s newly introduced artificial intelligence-supported SMART system had contributed to the problem. However, the company behind the system said the ground stop was not caused by its technology.
Authorities continued examining the circumstances surrounding the failure.
The incident has renewed concerns about the condition of America’s air traffic control infrastructure. Duffy said several parts of the system still depend on outdated equipment, including old switches, routers and copper communication lines.
The US administration has been pushing for substantial investment to modernise the network. Congress had approved $12.5 billion for improvements, while the government is seeking additional funding of around $30 billion to complete the upgrade programme. Homeland Security Secretary Mullin estimated that a comprehensive overhaul could cost approximately $50 billion.
The nationwide ground stop also brought back memories of the January 2023 FAA computer failure, when departures across the US were temporarily suspended. That incident disrupted thousands of flights and highlighted the vulnerability of critical aviation systems.