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FAA grounds flights nationwide after communications issue
Technicians investigate problems at regional air traffic control centers
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A Delta Air Lines plane and a United Airlines plane at Denver International Airport on Nov. 6. (David Zalubowski/Associated Press, File)
Key Takeaways:
- The FAA grounded all flights nationwide Nov. 13 after communications problems affected 22 regional air traffic control centers.
- The first nationwide ground stop since January 2023 renewed concerns about outdated air traffic control technology amid a multibillion-dollar modernization.
- FAA technicians were investigating the outage. The White House had already started asking for another $30 billion from Congress to complete the technology overhaul.
WASHINGTON — The Federal Aviation Administration grounded all flights nationwide the afternoon of Nov. 13 because of communications problems at regional air traffic control centers.
The FAA notice said the ground stop was being imposed “due to extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety.”
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin says there has been no indication yet of a nefarious act causing the issue.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said there is a communications issue affecting the 22 regional air traffic control centers that direct planes en route between airports nationwide. He said FAA technicians are investigating. This is the first nationwide ground stop since January 2023, when a key FAA computer system malfunctioned. Before that the last time had been after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
The FAA has ordered a nationwide ground stop for the first time since 9/11. The announcement can be heard in Air Traffic Control audio from officials at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. https://t.co/otzpDOtmFI https://t.co/sFVNjElbUi
— CBS News (@CBSNews) November 13, 2026
The government has been working to overhaul the outdated technology that air traffic controllers rely on since Congress approved $12.5 billion for the project last year. Miles of old copper wires have been replaced with fiber optic lines, and old radio systems are gradually being replaced at airports across the country.
But much work remains. Duffy has said that another $30 billion will be needed to complete the work, and the White House has begun lobbying Congress to approve it.
The problem appeared similar to a regional air traffic control communication outage in September that snarled hundreds of flights across the Northeast, aviation safety expert Steve Arroyo said, except this time on a nationwide scale. It may be linked to the outdated technology used by air traffic controllers.
“If you don’t have that ability, whether it’s because the old wires that they have are just run down or for whatever reason, you’ve got to stop airplanes on the ground,” said Arroyo, who is a former United Airlines pilot. “And not put them in the air where you’re going to risk not being able to communicate with them.”
The Nov. 13 ground stop was different than the one after Sept. 11 because planes were not being told to land immediately, and pilots likely were able to communicate with ground controllers at airports, Arroyo said.
