At 8:15 p.m. ET on Friday, the FAA ended its four-plus-hour nationwide halt on takeoffs, permitting flights to restart. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy noted airports would begin operations on a staggered basis following the pause.
The FAA ordered the ground stop Friday afternoon due to a communications outage affecting air traffic control centers across the United States. This pause allowed flights already in the air to land, but halted takeoffs at U.S. airports.
The ground stop was the second nationwide halt to departures since the September 11, 2001, attacks. The previous one occurred in January 2023, when the FAA paused domestic departures for less than two hours.
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According to local reports, nearly 7,000 flights had been delayed or canceled, with more than 15,000 flights affected overall. The FAA announced the ground stop at 3:54 p.m. ET on November 13, after halting traffic in Chicago due to communications problems.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stated that the issue affected all regional centers guiding planes between airports, and that FAA technicians were investigating. Passengers flying this weekend should check their airline’s app before heading to the airport, as the disruption could affect flight schedules for days.
Airline officials advised passengers to check their airline’s app or website for updates and to turn on flight alerts. If the stop puts a connection at risk, passengers should check their rebooking options in the app or contact the airline. Federal rules also entitle passengers to a refund if their flight is canceled or significantly delayed and they decline any alternate flight, voucher, or credit offered by the airline.