Live: All US departing flights grounded due to communication issues

The US Federal Aviation Administration has issued a national ground stop due to a communication issue affecting all air route traffic control centres. Follow our live coverage.Sat 14 Nov 2026 at 9:19amSat 14 Nov 2026 at 9:19am'This isn't another 9/11,' Homeland Security Secretary saysUS Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has briefed reporters at the White House on the national ground stop.He said there was no threat to the public, but the root cause of the problem was not known.US Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin. (Reuters: Elizabeth Frantz)"There's no reason for the public to be afraid or scared for your loved ones," he said."This isn't another 9/11."This is a telecommunications outage. This is much different."Mullin could not say how long it would take for things to return to normal."This isn't just going to be resolved and turned around within the hour," he said.He would not rule out a cyberattack, nor problems related to new AI-powered technology being rolled out in air control towers.US media is reporting that FBI and law enforcement sources do not believe the problem is the result of a cyberattack.Mr Mullin said there was also no reason to think yesterday's global Microsoft outage was linked to the issue.Sat 14 Nov 2026 at 9:14amSat 14 Nov 2026 at 9:14amWhat we know so farThe nationwide ground stop came after the FAA first halted traffic in Chicago due to air traffic control issues.The following order then stopped "all departing traffic … until further notice." All international flights would be managed on a case-by-case basis, the regulator said.The order means flights already in the air may land but flights on the ground cannot take off.This is only the second nationwide ground stop in the United States since the September 11 terror attacks.The last one was in January 2023, when domestic departures.Sat 14 Nov 2026 at 9:08amSat 14 Nov 2026 at 9:08amFlights grounded across the USGood morning and welcome to our live coverage of the unfolding flight halt affecting all aircraft currently operating in the United States.The US Federal Aviation Administration has issued a national ground stop "due to extraordinary circumstance and reasons for safety".It comes after the agency earlier reported serious air traffic control communications issues.My ABC colleagues and I will keep you up to date here with ongoing developments and information as it becomes available to us.