The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has ordered a nationwide ground stop across the United States following serious communication problems within the country’s air traffic control network.
The order was issued on Friday, November 13, bringing departures across the country to a halt shortly before 21:00 UTC.
The FAA’s Air Traffic Control System Command Center issued the directive at 20:54 UTC, citing “extraordinary circumstances” and safety concerns. All departing aircraft were instructed to remain on the ground until further notice, while international flights arriving in the United States would be handled on a case-by-case basis.
Trouble had already been brewing in Chicago, where both O’Hare and Midway airports were affected by an earlier equipment outage.
At O’Hare, a ground stop began at 20:10 UTC, with an FAA advisory identifying communication issues as the cause. Less than an hour later, the agency extended the restrictions to the entire country.
The disruption has been linked to reported radio communication problems affecting air traffic control facilities across the National Airspace System (NAS). However, the FAA has yet to establish the precise cause of the failures or explain how many facilities are affected.
The agency is investigating the problems as airlines across the country deal with the sudden suspension of departures.
Aircraft already airborne are not required to land immediately under the ground stop order. Instead, the restrictions primarily affect flights awaiting departure, leaving airlines with an increasing number of aircraft unable to operate their scheduled services. Even a relatively short interruption can create significant complications, as aircraft and crews are needed for subsequent flights throughout the day.
It is only the second time since the September 11 attacks that the FAA has imposed such a sweeping halt to departures. In January 2023, a failure of the agency’s Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) system led to a nationwide ground stop lasting less than two hours, disrupting thousands of flights. There is currently no indication that Friday’s communication problems are related to that incident.
The FAA has not provided a confirmed time for departures to resume, and the full extent of the disruption remains unclear.
