The Federal Aviation Administration lifted a nationwide ground stop on US departures at 8:15 p.m. ET on Friday, Nov. 13, more than four hours after a communications problem at air traffic control centers halted flights, Bloomberg reported. Airlines now face delays and cancellations as they restore schedules.
What happened to US flights?
The FAA issued the ground stop at 3:54 p.m. ET, citing communication issues affecting multiple Air Route Traffic Control Centers, Axios reported. These centers direct planes between airports. The agency said technicians were investigating.
A ground stop holds departing flights on the ground. Flights already in the air continued to their destinations, and an FAA advisory said inbound international flights would be handled case by case. CNN reported that Eurocontrol suspended US-bound departures from its 42 member countries at the FAA’s request until midnight ET.
Flightradar24 said the stop affected more than 10,000 flights and led to more than 1,000 cancellations. Those figures change as airlines update their schedules.
What caused the outage?
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy blamed old air traffic control technology and routers overloaded with data, according to CNN. The FAA investigation was still under way in the reports we read. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin called it a telecommunications outage, and MPR News reported that officials saw no indication yet of a nefarious act. That is an early assessment, not a completed investigation.
MPR News described it as the first nationwide ground stop since January 2023.
Are delays over?
No. Allowing departures to resume does not put aircraft, crews and schedules back in place. Bloomberg said delays and cancellations could ripple through the system for hours, and Flightradar24 said it would take many hours for operations to return to normal.
What travelers should check
Passengers flying to, from or through the United States, including travelers between the Philippines and the US, should check the airline’s app or website for the exact flight and any connection. Airport departure boards and airline advisories show updates as schedules change. Our reports do not establish that any particular Philippine flight was delayed or canceled.
Why it matters
A communications failure can disrupt the wider travel network even after departures restart. For passengers, the most useful update is the current status of their own flight and any onward connection. For related coverage, see our News hub.
Frequently asked questions
Were airborne flights ordered down?
No. Reports said flights already in the air continued to their destinations. The ground stop applied to departures.
Has service fully returned to normal?
No. Resumption does not mean every delay has ended. Airlines are still restoring schedules.
Are Philippine flights affected?
Check your airline and airport for the exact flight, especially if it connects through the United States.
