FAA ground stop shuts down flights nationwide

Skip to main contentA communications problem is reportedly affecting Air Route Traffic control centers.A communications problem is reportedly affecting Air Route Traffic control centers.by Nov 13, 2026, 9:38 PM UTCRichard Lawler is a senior editor following news across tech, culture, policy, and entertainment. He joined The Verge in 2021 after several years covering news at Engadget.Takeoffs from airports throughout the US paused on Friday after the FAA issued a national ground stop “due to extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety.” US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy tweeted: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. We will provide immediate updates as we have them.Jon Ostrower of The Air Current reports that the FAA has said it’s “due to several impacts to ATC Frequencies and/or Radar capabilities.” According to CNN, the last time there was a nationwide ground stop was in 2024 when a pilot notification system went down, and the last one prior to that was after the attacks on September 11th, 2001.Developing…Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.Richard LawlerThe Verge DailyA free daily digest of the news that matters most.