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All flight departures across the United States were grounded Friday afternoon due to communications problems.
Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy shared on social media that the Federal Aviation Administration has halted planes from taking off at U.S. airports because the issue is impacting all Air Route Traffic Control Centers.
“FAA technicians are investigating the issue,” Duffy wrote on X and Facebook . “We will provide immediate updates as we have them.”
The aviation agency did not reveal what caused the issue.
The Air Traffic Control System Command Center issued the “National Ground Stop” advisory at 3:54 p.m. Eastern Time.
“Due to extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety … all airports are ground stopped,” the advisory said .
Issued by the FAA just moments ago, ALL US airports are currently ground stopped. This means NO flights may depart for US airports. Flights already in the air will be allowed to land. This is related to an FAA equipment outage. pic.twitter.com/wgyuOXeF0k
— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) November 13, 2026
“All departing traffic should remain ground stopped until further notice. Inbound international flights will be managed on a case by case basis.”
It’s only the second time a nationwide ground stop of this scale has been ordered since the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001.
The ground stop was effective through to 11 p.m., but may be lifted before or could be extended into Saturday.
The FAA’s status page shows ground delays, departure delays, and airport closures in New York City, Los Angeles, Boston, Miami, Atlanta, Las Vegas and other airports.
Flight Radar, an internet flight tracking service, said the grounding has affected more than 10,000 flights and led to more than 1,000 cancellations.
And at the time the ground stop was issued, more than 4,000 flights were airborne and heading to U.S. airports.
All flights between Toronto and U.S. halted
Pearson Airport said on social media all flights between Toronto and the U.S. have been halted.
“Passengers are advised to check directly with their airline for the latest flight information before heading to the airport,” the airport said on X . “We will continue to post updates as information becomes available.”
More to follow …
