Major flight delays continue at airports with nearly 10,000 canceled through Saturday

A ground stop issued by the Federal Aviation Administration on Friday evening for roughly five hours is still affecting travelers Saturday morning, with nearly 10,000 flights canceled and more delayed.The FAA issued a nationwide ground stop after experiencing instability in radar and communications systems at 3:36 p.m. on Friday, affecting air traffic control centers and facilities that manage aircraft approaching and departing airports. The halt remained in place until 8:15 p.m., but Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy acknowledged that getting flights back up to speed would be “slow.”The disruption led to nearly 10,000 flights being canceled over Friday and Saturday, according to flight tracking data. The airlines most affected are Delta and United, with each canceling over 2,000 flights. On Saturday morning alone, more than 4,000 flights were canceled. Duffy said in an update on X that delays and cancellations will continue, but did not specify when operations would return to normal.“Operations are slowly returning to normal this morning,” he said. “Planes are pushing back, taxiing, and taking off, and it is safe to fly. We are in close coordination with the airlines to support the ongoing recovery. You will continue to see some delays and cancellations as carriers reschedule flights and reposition aircraft/crews where they are needed most. Our top priority right now is making sure travelers get home safely to their families as quickly as possible.”Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, left, and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, right, during a news conference in the James Brady Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, Friday, Nov. 13, 2026. (AP Photo) Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport is experiencing the greatest disruptions with departures as of Saturday morning, according to the tracker, with 38% of flights canceled and 55% delayed.Washington Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, D.C., is having the most disruptions with arrivals, with 71% of flights canceled and 21% delayed. When the ground stop was first initiated, Reagan National Airport experienced issues finding space on the tarmac for all of the grounded planes to park.The disruption also appeared to affect travelers seeking alternative transportation, with reports of problems accessing Amtrak’s booking website as passengers looked for train tickets. The issue was resolved as of Saturday morning, but the train service is still experiencing increased demand.During a press conference on Friday evening, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said officials are moving at an “unprecedented pace” to get travelers on their way, but acknowledged the downstream effects of a nationwide ground stop.FAA’S MODERNIZATION PUSH FACES RENEWED SCRUTINY AFTER NATIONWIDE OUTAGE: WHAT TO KNOW“We’re moving at an unprecedented pace as a whole of government, to make sure that we are doing the public justice by making sure everybody is safe,” Mullin said.Duffy said Friday evening that aging switches and routers became overloaded with data, causing inconsistencies with data in radar communications systems across the country. He said newly installed equipment continued functioning, while older technologies experienced failures.