An American Airlines commercial aircraft approaches to land at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, as seen from the Lincoln Memorial at the National Mall, Washington, DC, US, on November 2, 2026 [Umit Bektas/Reuters]By Al Jazeera Staff and ReutersPublished On 13 Nov 202613 Nov 2026
The United States has grounded flights across the country after a “communication issue” impacted traffic control centers, US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said.
“FAA [Federal Aviation Administration] technicians are investigating the issue. We will provide immediate updates as we have them,” Duffy wrote on social media.
Around 7,000 flights have been either delayed or canceled due to the stop, according to FlightAware.
The disruption is the latest sign of strain on the US air traffic control system, which has been beset by equipment failures, communications problems and shortages of controllers while the FAA tries to replace aging infrastructure. Congress approved $12.5bn for the overhaul last year, and the FAA and White House asked lawmakers on Friday for another $30.1bn.
This is the first nationwide US ground stop since January 2023, when a key FAA computer system malfunctioned. Before that, the last time had been after the September 11, 2001, attacks.
