US lifts nationwide flight shutdown caused by communications failure

By DAVID SHEPARDSON, DOYINSOLA OLADIPO, RAJESH KUMAR SINGH, Reuters

Published November 14, 2026 10:19am

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Stranded passengers wait at Cancun International Airport after aircraft at Mexican airports with US-bound flights were asked to stay on the ground until US aviation authorities authorize flights to resume, in Cancun, Mexico, November 13, 2026. REUTERS/Paola Chiomante

WASHINGTON - The US Federal Aviation Administration lifted a nationwide ground stop on Friday after a communications failure at air traffic control centers caused chaos at airports and triggered the longest nationwide shutdown since the September 11, 2001 attacks.

More than 4,700 flights were canceled and 10,000 delayed on Friday, while another 700 had already been canceled for Saturday, according to FlightRadar24. Aviation analysts said it could take days for airlines to restore their schedules after a nationwide grounding that lasted more than four hours.

The Department of Homeland Security said there were no signs the outage was caused by a cyberattack.

The failure is the latest and most dramatic sign of strain on a US air traffic control system beset by equipment and communications problems, controller shortages and aging infrastructure.

The only other nationwide ground stop since the September 11 attacks came in January 2023, when the FAA halted domestic departures for around 90 minutes. —Reuters