FAA issues nationwide ground stop due to 'extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety'

Terry Castleman and Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times on Nov 13, 2026

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LOS ANGELES — The Federal Aviation Administration has issued a temporary ground stoppage on all flights in the United States.

“Due to extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety,” the FAA advisory read, “all departing traffic should remain ground stopped until further notice.”

The stoppage was announced Friday afternoon and impacted flights nationwide, including at Los Angeles International Airport, following a communication issue that affected air traffic control centers. It marks the second full ground stop since 9/11 and it’s unclear how long it will last. The last full ground stop was in 2023 when a pilot notification system went down.

“FAA technicians are investigating the issue. We will provide immediate updates as we have them,” Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy said in a post on X.

Inbound international flights would be handled “on a case by case basis,” according to the FAA advisory.

In Air Traffic Control audio posted by the ATC, a controller could be heard announcing the ground stop to pilots on the runway at San Diego International Airport.

“That’s a joke, right?” a pilot responded in disbelief.

The air traffic controller then confirmed that it was not a joke, and said the ground stop was due to an issue with equipment.

Multiple voices on the channel then speculated that the outage was related to the Microsoft Outlook outage from Nov. 12, but the controller said he could not confirm the cause.

In Chicago Air Route Traffic Control Center audio, an air traffic controller said they “lost all frequencies and automation for handoffs and strips,” likely in reference to handing off which towers handle which flights and the electronic records used to track individual planes.