FAA Lifts Nationwide Ground Stop After Telecom Failure

The Federal Aviation Administration lifted its nationwide ground stop on Friday, November 13, 2026, restoring departures after a telecommunications failure disrupted air traffic control operations across the country. The agency had ordered airports to halt departing flights earlier in the day, an extraordinarily rare action that rippled through the national travel system within hours.

Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy, speaking at a press conference, said the shutdown stemmed from a communications problem that affected every Air Route Traffic Control Center, prompting FAA technicians to launch an investigation. The agency cited "extraordinary circumstances" and safety concerns when it issued the order Friday afternoon, according to TMZ.com.

Duffy used the briefing to criticize what he described as "patchwork" fixes applied to an outdated air traffic control system. He called for $50 billion to build a replacement system and urged Congress to approve emergency funding without delay, TMZ.com reported.

The disruption stranded passengers at airports and left others waiting on tarmacs nationwide, with travelers facing uncertainty about when departures would resume. The order affected flights across the country, not just at a single hub, because the communications issue touched all of the regional centers that direct aircraft between airports.

The travel chaos reached the entertainment world as well. Brooks Nader, attempting to reach her home state of Louisiana for the LSU game, was aboard a private jet in New York when the stoppage hit; sources told TMZ.com that her pilots had no updates and that her odds of departing Friday night appeared slim. Former 'Bachelorette' star Kaitlyn Bristowe also was caught in the airport turmoil, describing the situation as scary to her Instagram followers while she waited to get home, according to TMZ.com.

The FAA's decision to clear flights came after the agency announced the all clear, ending a shutdown that had briefly halted departures at airports nationwide. Travelers were advised to check with their airlines for residual delays as operations returned to normal.