Federal Aviation Administration Issues Ground Stop for all Departing Flights

GRAND RAPIDS, MI. - The Federal Aviation Administration issued a nationwide ground stop for all departing flights across the United States on Friday, November 13, 2026. This administrative action halted all United States flights immediately following a communication issue that affected multiple Air Route Traffic Control Centers.

The Federal Aviation Administration operates as the United States federal government agency within the United States Department of Transportation that regulates civil aviation. Agency officials cited extraordinary circumstances and reasons of safety as the core cause for the nationwide ground stop, which requires aircraft to remain on the ground.

This disruption marked a rare operational occurrence in American aviation history. One report noted this event as only the second time since the September 11 attacks that aviation authorities grounded all departing flights across the United States.

The Federal Aviation Administration withheld any definitive end time for the restrictions, stating that all affected flights remain grounded until further notice while technicians address the communication failures.