U.S. nationwide ground stop strands travelers as FAA works to restore flights
The FAA halted U.S. departures for more than four hours on Friday, November 13, while about 3,500 aircraft were airborne. Cancellations and delays continued into Sunday as airlines repositioned crews and planes.
By DoomRadar · Published on DoomRadar . Updated .
How the effects could reach youConditional effects
Based on two sources with available article excerpts. Source-linked claims are not independent confirmation.
Event date: The nationwide ground stop began at 3:36 p.m. ET on Friday, November 13, 2026, and lasted more than four hours. [2][1]
What happened
The FAA ordered the nationwide stoppage at 3:36 p.m. Eastern time on November 13 while approximately 3,500 flights were in the air. The stop lasted more than four hours before departures gradually resumed. [2]
References for this detail (1)
- Flights expected to return to normal by Sunday night after nationwide ground stop, FAA says. Here's what to knowcbsnews.com · Article published: Nov 14, 2026, 3:36 PM UTC
After the stop was lifted, airlines still faced 9,161 cancellations and 7,292 delays, according to the reported figures. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said tens of thousands of passengers remained stuck at airports and warned that recovery would be slow. [1]
References for this detail (1)
- Air Travel to Normalize by Sunday, FAA Says After Nationwide Ground Stoptheepochtimes.com · Article published: Nov 14, 2026, 1:35 PM UTC
On Sunday, FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said delays and cancellations were still affecting air travel but that the worst was behind the system. Duffy said airlines should be operating at full capacity by Monday, while noting that aircraft and crews had been displaced by the stoppage. [1][2]
References for this detail (2)
- Air Travel to Normalize by Sunday, FAA Says After Nationwide Ground Stoptheepochtimes.com · Article published: Nov 14, 2026, 1:35 PM UTC
- Flights expected to return to normal by Sunday night after nationwide ground stop, FAA says. Here's what to knowcbsnews.com · Article published: Nov 14, 2026, 3:36 PM UTC
The FAA said it had replaced thousands of copper wires with fiber-optic lines and upgraded hundreds of radio systems as part of an overhaul begun after Congress approved $12.5 billion. Duffy said only part of the money needed had been approved and warned that further outages could follow without the remainder. [1]
References for this detail (1)
- Air Travel to Normalize by Sunday, FAA Says After Nationwide Ground Stoptheepochtimes.com · Article published: Nov 14, 2026, 1:35 PM UTC
Context from the sources
The November 13 stoppage was the first nationwide ground stop since January 2023, according to CBS News; before that, the last national ground stop occurred after the September 11, 2001 attacks. [2]
What happened before, and what is different now
A documented earlier episode helps explain a possible mechanism. Its outcome does not predict this event.
The earlier episode
A key FAA computer-system malfunction caused the previous nationwide ground stop in January 2023. [2]
What connects them
Both episodes halted or sharply restricted national U.S. air traffic and disrupted flights beyond the initial operational problem. [2][1]
What is different
The sources identify the 2023 episode as a computer-system malfunction, while they do not establish the cause of the November 2026 stop.
What to watch here
The earlier disruption shows how an FAA incident can continue affecting travelers after restrictions are lifted, but it does not establish that the 2026 event will follow the same course.
Explore the sources and reporting timeline
2 source links · 2 domains
These counts describe the references, not independent confirmations. Different outlets can repeat the same original report.
Source timeline
Oldest to newest among the available source dates, not a chronology of the incident. Article publication dates come from the source; other recorded dates may reflect when a link was found.
- [1] Air Travel to Normalize by Sunday, FAA Says After Nationwide Ground Stoptheepochtimes.comReferenced for: detail 2, detail 3, detail 4
- [2] Flights expected to return to normal by Sunday night after nationwide ground stop, FAA says. Here's what to knowcbsnews.comReferenced for: detail 1, detail 3
Questions answered by the reporting
Why did disruption continue after the ground stop ended?
Aircraft and crews were left out of position, so airlines needed time to restore their schedules and operations. [2]
How extensive was the immediate disruption?
The reported figures included 9,161 cancellations and 7,292 delays after the restrictions were lifted. [1]
What this could mean for you
Flight delays, cancellations and overnight waits may continue during the recovery period.
The ground stop left aircraft and crews out of position, forcing airlines to rebuild schedules after departures resumed.
Reported basis: [1][2] · The possible effect is interpretation.
Depends on: Airlines have not yet fully restored aircraft, crews and flight schedules.
Possible time frame: days, if those conditions hold.
Travelers and workers relying on flights may lose time through missed connections or delayed arrivals.
A nationwide stoppage disrupted itineraries across the air network rather than only at one airport.
Reported basis: [1][2] · The possible effect is interpretation.
Depends on: Residual cancellations and delays continue into the next operating day.
Possible time frame: days, if those conditions hold.
Possible consequences, not a forecast. Their relevance depends on your location and the conditions above.
For your country
Choose a country to check how this event could affect you.
What changes the outlook
Risk increases if…
Further FAA outages would extend disruption beyond the reported recovery period.
A shortfall in funding for the remaining FAA modernization work could leave additional outages possible, according to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
Pressure eases if…
Airlines restore aircraft and crews to their planned positions.
The FAA and airlines reach full operating capacity, as officials said they expected by Monday.
Still unclear
The sources do not establish what triggered the November 13 ground stop.
It is unclear whether all cancellations and delays had cleared by the time of the reports.
Market implications
Market impact
Sources (2)
References for the reported details. Separate links do not necessarily mean independent confirmation.
Available excerpt
Travel to and from airports across the United States should be back to normal by the end of Sunday, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said…A short excerpt from our source record; open the original for the full article.
Available excerpt
Updated on: November 15, 2026 / 9:30 AM EST / CBS News Air travel should resume normal operations by Sunday night after a rare national…A short excerpt from our source record; open the original for the full article.
First tracked by DoomRadar: . AI-assisted analysis · . Based on linked headlines and available excerpts. Methodology · Report an error.