FAA orders halt to all US domestic departures after telecommunications outage

On November 13, 2026 the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered a nationwide halt to departures of all domestic flights after reporting serious air-traffic communications problems. Aircraft already in the air were permitted to land, but planes on the ground were not allowed to depart until the situation was resolved.

FAA cites a "temporary interruption of telecommunications links"

The agency said the grounding followed reports of major communications failures within air-traffic control systems and described the root cause as a "temporary interruption of telecommunications links." FAA officials said they acted "extremely cautiously" and that every flight was being tracked while operations were paused.

The stoppage began regionally—FAA suspended departures in the Chicago area first after controllers reported communication issues with en‑route centers—before the agency extended the halt nationwide "until further notice." International arrivals to the United States were to be handled on a case‑by‑case basis.

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin spoke to reporters at the White House, saying there was no evidence the incident was an attack on the country. He said: "This is a telecommunications outage. All flights are being monitored. There is no reason to be worried about your loved ones." Mullin added that "everyone is safe" and that "this is not another 9/11."

The November 13 disruption was the second national grounding of U.S. departures since the September 11, 2001 attacks. A similar national pause occurred in January 2023, when the FAA halted domestic departures for less than two hours.

Congress last year approved $12.5 billion to modernize the FAA's aging communications system, and both the agency and the White House asked lawmakers for an additional $30.1 billion to address other system shortfalls.

Photo: press material from the event