The FAA lifted its rare nationwide ground stop Friday night, but the disruption is far from over. Early reporting points to a network software update as the possible trigger, though the FAA has not confirmed that. More than 6,600 flights were canceled and roughly 10,000 delayed, and airlines say it could take days to get planes and crews back where they belong.
The central question is whether an FAA software update caused the outage. Officials have described a telecommunications failure at air traffic control centers. Several news outlets, citing sources, say an update to the private network connecting those facilities may have set it off. The root cause remains under investigation.
What Happened During the Nationwide Ground Stop
The FAA issued the ground stop at 3:54 p.m. ET on Friday, Nov. 13, 2026, halting departures at every U.S. airport. It cited “extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety.” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the order followed a “communication issue” affecting all Air Route Traffic Control Centers.
The FAA lifted the order at 8:15 p.m. ET, after more than four hours. It was the first nationwide ground stop since January 2023, when a failure in the NOTAM system halted flights for about 90 minutes. Reports describe it as the longest nationwide shutdown since the September 11, 2001 attacks.
When the order took effect, more than 4,000 aircraft were airborne and headed for U.S. airports. They were allowed to land, but nothing could take off. Flight tracker Flightradar24 counted only 336 flights bound for U.S. airports at the low point, compared with more than 3,600 at that hour on a normal day.
Was an FAA Software Update to Blame?
This is the part that is still unconfirmed, so it helps to separate what is known from what is reported.
Confirmed by officials:
- The FAA called it a “temporary telecommunications outage.”
- Duffy said routers “got overloaded with data” and began producing inconsistent information. The FAA shut things down as a precaution.
- Duffy said instability in radar communications began just after 3:30 p.m. ET.
- He blamed an “incredibly old” system, pointing to 1980s-era copper lines, and said none of the newly installed equipment failed.
- Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said new security patches on the older system appeared to overwhelm its routers.
Reported, but not confirmed by the FAA:
- CBS News, citing multiple sources, reported that an update to the private network behind U.S. air traffic control caused the system to reboot and then crash.
- That network is the FAA Telecommunications Infrastructure, known as FTI, which is operated by L3Harris Technologies. L3Harris had not commented publicly at last report.
- Bloomberg reported that the FBI is examining whether a software update caused the outage.
Mullin said there was “zero evidence” so far of a cyberattack or a rogue AI system, though investigators had not ruled either out. The National Security Agency is assisting the Department of Homeland Security. Air Space Intelligence, the vendor behind the FAA’s new SMART air traffic system, said its software did not cause the stoppage.
How Many Flights Were Canceled and Delayed
Totals differ by tracker and by the time of day they were taken, so treat every figure as a snapshot:
- As of 9:30 p.m. ET Friday, FlightAware counted more than 25,100 delayed and more than 6,600 canceled flights within, into or out of the U.S.
- Flightradar24 data cited by Reuters showed more than 4,700 cancellations and 10,000 delays for Friday, with hundreds more Saturday cancellations already posted.
- By 11:30 p.m. ET, Flightradar24 counted nearly 10,000 cancellations through Saturday, including more than 2,200 each at Delta and American Airlines.
- Aviation data firm Cirium estimated about 1.5 million passengers were affected.
Why the Chaos Will Continue
Reopening the airspace does not reset the schedule. Thousands of aircraft and crews ended Friday in the wrong cities, and airline crews have legal duty-time limits that can leave a flight without a legal crew even when the plane is ready.
Duffy warned that the restart would be “slow” and said the FAA would prioritize larger flights through the weekend. American Airlines warned of delays and cancellations into Saturday. JetBlue told customers to expect more cancellations, and Southwest restarted with a limited schedule. Dublin Airport warned of possible delays on U.S. routes.
Airport-by-Airport Impact
- Dallas-Fort Worth: An outage at the FAA’s Dallas TRACON facility meant flights could not be released automatically. American said only nine of its flights could depart DFW in one hour, against a typical 100. American canceled more than 530 flights Friday and at least 160 Saturday. Operations at DFW and Love Field returned to normal levels Saturday.
- Chicago O’Hare: More than 700 flights were canceled Friday, and some travelers abandoned plans or rented cars.
- Los Angeles (LAX): Passengers were stranded, including some arriving from Mexico on disrupted international routes.
- New York, Miami and Hawaii: Airports reported disruptions, though some flights continued over the ocean and in Alaska and Hawaii.
What Travelers Should Do Right Now
- Check your flight status before leaving for the airport. Use your airline’s app and the FAA’s live airport status page for delay programs.
- Rebook through the app first. Airline agents and phone lines are overwhelmed, and the app is often the quickest route to a new seat.
- Track the wider picture. A site like FlightAware shows whether your aircraft is stuck somewhere else, which often predicts delays.
- Know your refund rights. Under U.S. Department of Transportation rules, if your flight is canceled and you decline the alternative offered, you are entitled to a refund, including taxes and fees. A “significant change” generally means a delay of more than three hours on a domestic flight or six hours on an international one. Details are on the DOT’s air consumer page.
- Don’t assume meals or hotels are covered. Federal rules do not require airlines to pay for them in every case, so ask your carrier about its policy and keep receipts.
With Thanksgiving less than two weeks away and a record number of travelers expected, any airline with unresolved backlogs matters beyond this weekend.
What Comes Next
The most important development to watch is the FAA’s official root-cause statement. So far the agency has confirmed only a telecommunications outage. Whether it names the FTI network and an update as the trigger will shape where responsibility lands.
Other things to watch:
- Investigation results from the FAA, DHS, NSA and FBI, and any public comment from L3Harris.
- Funding. Duffy is asking Congress for $50 billion to modernize air traffic control technology. That is a requested figure, not a payment or contract award.
- Recovery speed. Cancellation counts on Saturday and Sunday will show how quickly airlines are untangling schedules.
- Official updates posted at FAA.gov.
Officials say passengers were never in danger. But a single failure in aging network equipment was enough to ground the country, which makes this one of the most consequential aviation stories of the year.
Were you caught up in the FAA ground stop, or are you flying this weekend? Share your story in the comments and check back for the latest updates.