FAA grounds all US flights over air traffic communication outage
Synopsis
The FAA has halted every departing domestic flight in the United States after a sudden communication failure at regional air traffic control centres — only the second nationwide ground stop since 2001. With no sign of a cyberattack and technicians still hunting for the cause, the outage is set to cascade delays across the US air network through Friday night.
Key Takeaways
The FAA imposed a nationwide ground stop on 14 November 2025 after communication failures at regional air traffic control centres.
All departing domestic flights were halted; the order was set to remain in effect until at least 11 pm ET on Friday.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said there was no evidence of a deliberate or malicious attack — describing it as a telecommunications outage.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed FAA technicians were actively investigating the issue.
This is only the second nationwide ground stop since the September 11, 2001 attacks; the last comparable incident was in January 2023 over an FAA computer malfunction.
United Airlines and American Airlines both warned of significant disruptions, while confirming airborne flights would continue to their destinations.
The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) imposed a nationwide ground stop on Friday, 14 November 2025, after communication failures were reported at regional air traffic control centres across the country. The order, described in an official FAA notice as driven by 'extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety,' halted all departing domestic flights until further notice.
What the Ground Stop Order Covers
The FAA directive instructed all airlines and aircraft operators to keep departing flights on the ground indefinitely. 'All departing traffic should remain ground stopped until further notice,' the notice stated, adding that 'inbound international flights will be managed on a case by case basis.' The ground stop was scheduled to remain in effect until at least 11 pm Eastern Time (ET) on Friday.
Officials Rule Out Deliberate Attack
US Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin said there was no evidence at that stage that the communication disruption was the result of a deliberate or malicious act. 'This was not a nefarious attack against us. It's just a telecommunications outage,' Mullin said, clarifying that investigators had found no signs of hostile activity. US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed the matter was under active examination, posting on X that 'FAA technicians are investigating the issue.'
How Airlines Are Responding
United Airlines confirmed that its domestic flights would not be departing during the disruption, while international departures would be handled separately under FAA directions. 'International departures are being managed on a case-by-case basis by the FAA,' the airline said. American Airlines warned passengers of likely disruptions for the remainder of the day, saying: 'It will be all hands on deck across American to get customers on their way as soon as possible when the FAA lifts this nationwide ground stop.' Both carriers, along with several other airlines, confirmed that flights already airborne would continue to their destinations.
A Rare Event With Historical Precedent
The nationwide ground stop marks only the second such action in over two decades. The previous comparable incident occurred in January 2023, when a malfunction in a key FAA computer system — the NOTAM (Notice to Air Missions) system — disrupted flight operations across the country. Before that, the last nationwide ground stop had been ordered in the immediate aftermath of the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks, making such broad, system-wide halts exceptionally rare in US aviation history.
What Happens Next
FAA technicians were actively working to identify and resolve the communication failure at the time of reporting. The regulator has not yet disclosed the technical cause of the outage. With the order in effect until at least 11 pm ET, cascading delays are expected to ripple through the US aviation network well into the evening and potentially into the following day, as aircraft and crew positioning is disrupted across hundreds of routes.
Point of View
Deployed only twice in the post-9/11 era. The speed with which Homeland Security publicly ruled out a cyberattack is notable — it may reflect genuine intelligence confidence, or it may be an effort to prevent panic before the investigation concludes. What is clear is that the FAA's communication infrastructure has now failed at scale twice in under three years, raising uncomfortable questions about the resilience and modernisation of the US air traffic management system. For Indian travellers and carriers with US-bound flights, this is a live disruption event worth monitoring closely as cascading delays compound through Friday night.
NationPress
14 Nov 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did the FAA ground all flights in the US on 14 November 2025?
The FAA imposed a nationwide ground stop due to communication failures at regional air traffic control centres, citing 'extraordinary circumstances and reasons of safety.' The technical cause of the outage had not been disclosed at the time of reporting, and FAA technicians were actively investigating.
Was the FAA communication outage a cyberattack?
No evidence of a deliberate or malicious attack was found, according to US Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin. He described the incident as a telecommunications outage rather than a hostile act, though the investigation was still ongoing.
How long will the FAA ground stop last?
The ground stop order was scheduled to remain in effect until at least 11 pm Eastern Time on Friday, 14 November. Cascading delays are expected to continue well beyond the official lift, as aircraft and crew positioning is disrupted across hundreds of routes.
What is the history of FAA nationwide ground stops?
Nationwide ground stops are extremely rare. The most recent prior incident was in January 2023, when an FAA computer system malfunction disrupted flights across the country. Before that, the last comparable measure was imposed immediately after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
Are international flights affected by the FAA ground stop?
International departures from the US were being managed on a case-by-case basis under FAA directions, rather than being subjected to the blanket stop applied to domestic departures. Flights already airborne, including international ones, were confirmed to be continuing to their destinations.
