Verified and updated: November 14, 2026, 01:12 UTC (November 13, 8:12 p.m. EST).
The Federal Aviation Administration’s nationwide ground stop remained in effect at the time of this check, after a temporary telecommunications outage affected air route traffic control centres across the United States. The FAA has said technicians are investigating; there was no verified notice lifting the stop in the official status information and reporting reviewed. The disruption is affecting departures, with knock-on delays and cancellations likely to continue even after flights are allowed to leave again. Some exceptions have been reported, including certain flights in Alaska and Hawaii and some international departures, but passengers should not assume their route is exempt.
For travellers from the UK, the practical priority is to check the operating airline’s flight status before leaving for the airport and keep checking it. The FAA’s decision is an operational safety measure related to communications problems; officials have not confirmed a cyberattack. The FAA advises passengers to check directly with their carrier for flight-specific information.
The FAA issued the nationwide ground stop on Friday, November 13, after communications problems affected multiple Air Route Traffic Control Centers, which help manage aircraft travelling between airports. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said technicians were investigating. The FAA described a temporary telecommunications outage and said flights were halted out of caution. The agency’s rationale, as reported, is tied to safe air traffic operations while the communications issue is assessed.
The stop applies broadly to departures from US airports, but the operation is not as simple as every aircraft being instantly grounded wherever it is. Officials said aircraft already in the air were accounted for. The Associated Press reported that some flights had been cleared, including certain services within Alaska and Hawaii and some international flights leaving US airspace. The FAA said international flights would be handled case by case. That distinction matters for UK passengers: a transatlantic service may be treated differently from another flight, but only the airline can confirm the status of a specific booking.
The Associated Press reported that the stop was scheduled to run at least through 11 p.m. Eastern Time on Friday. That is 04:00 UTC on Saturday, November 14. A scheduled end time is not the same as confirmation that the restriction has been lifted; check for a later FAA update before making plans.
The confirmed explanation so far is a communications issue affecting air traffic control centres. The FAA has said its technicians are investigating. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said there was no indication at the time of his remarks that the outage was a malicious attack. The cause has not been established in the information reviewed for this update, so claims about a specific failed system, software change or cyber incident should be treated as unconfirmed.
A ground stop is a traffic-management instruction that prevents or limits departures so aircraft do not enter airspace when controllers cannot safely manage the flow. It can create wider disruption than the duration of the original technical problem: aircraft, crews and passengers may be in the wrong place for later flights, while arriving aircraft and airport gates remain part of a tightly connected schedule.
Axios cited the FAA’s statement that communication issues affected multiple air route control centres. The public account available at this update does not establish a confirmed restoration time or a complete technical cause.
Check the airline app or website for the exact flight number, and confirm whether the flight is delayed, cancelled, or still scheduled before travelling to the airport. Sign up for text or app alerts and keep the airline’s contact details accessible. An airport departure board can lag behind an airline’s direct notification, so check both when practical.
If the airline cancels or substantially changes a booking, contact it through its official channels to ask about rebooking and the options available under the ticket conditions. Keep receipts for necessary expenses and document messages or notifications. For UK-origin itineraries, rights can depend on the route, carrier, booking and circumstances; consult the UK Civil Aviation Authority’s current passenger guidance rather than assuming every US domestic rule applies to the whole journey.
If already at the airport, stay near the gate unless airline staff advise otherwise. A departure time may change more than once, and a flight shown as delayed may later be cancelled. If connecting in the United States, check both the transatlantic leg and onward flight; a missed connection can require a new itinerary even if the first flight eventually operates.
No reliable end time can be stated until the FAA confirms the restriction has ended and airlines publish updated schedules. Even after departures resume, queues and aircraft repositioning can take time to unwind. This is a likely operational consequence of a large interruption, not a confirmed forecast for any particular airport or flight. UK travellers should plan for possible overnight delays, missed connections and changes to onward transport, while avoiding non-refundable changes until the airline confirms its plan.
For updates, use the FAA National Airspace System status page alongside your airline’s flight tracker. Information can change quickly; this article reflects the sources checked at the timestamp above.
No. The FAA issued a broad departure ground stop, but some limited exceptions have been reported. A ground stop is not a blanket cancellation of every flight; check your specific flight with the airline.
That has not been confirmed. Officials said there was no indication at the time of their remarks that the incident was a malicious attack, and the cause remained under investigation.
Check your airline before setting out. If your flight remains scheduled, follow the carrier’s instructions and allow extra time, but do not rely on the original itinerary until its status is confirmed.
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