U.S. FAA ground stop LIVE updates: All flights grounded; no indication country under threat, says Homeland Security chief

Travelers wait at LaGuardia Airport in New York on November 13, 2026 | Photo Credit: RYAN MURPHY All flights in the U.S. were grounded on Friday (November 13, 2026), sparking travel chaos across the country, after what government officials said was a major communications outage, insisting it was not the result of any “nefarious attack.”The nationwide stop left tens of thousands of passengers in limbo, with some pulled off planes moments before departure by airline staff who appeared in the dark about unfolding events. The incident marked only the second time such an alert was given in U.S. airspace since the 9/11 attacks. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said there was no sign of a threat to the United States. “This isn’t another 9/11,” he said.The Federal Aviation Administration “issued a nationwide ground stop for all U.S. airports following a communication issue impacting all Air Route Traffic Control Centres,” the agency said. “FAA technicians are investigating the issue.” In a subsequent message on X, the agency described the problem as “a temporary telecommunications outage” and said it was acting “out of an abundance of caution.” Friday’s (November 13, 2026) FAA order came a day after U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy formally asked Congress for $30 billion to upgrade and modernise the U.S. Air Traffic Control System.Follow LIVE updates here:Key Updates Nationwide ground stop has been cancelled: FAA Microsoft says FAA nationwide ground stop unrelated to its services November 14, 2026 07:04 Nationwide ground stop has been cancelled: FAAA ‌U.S. halt ⁠to ‌airplane ‌takeoffs ‌that grounded ⁠thousands ⁠of flights ‌has been canceled, ‌the FAA ⁠said.ReutersNovember 14, 2026 07:03 'I may lose my mind': Frustrated travellers stuck in U.S. flight havocConfusion reigned at airports across the United States on Friday (November 13, 2026), as a rare grounding of all U.S. flights stranded hundreds of thousands of frustrated travellers with no end to the delays in sight.In New York’s busy LaGuardia airport, Janice Llewellyn was on the verge of tears: the chaos could mean she will miss her daughter’s wedding in Toronto.The 61-year-old Llewellyn was desperate to find an alternative route, telling AFP: “I may lose my mind.”“My husband flew all the way from England to get to the wedding,” she said. “Oh gosh! I wish they had another flight, I wish I could get another flight, like, now.”At the airport in Las Vegas, some fliers were told their journeys were delayed due to wind.Government officials have said the grounding was due to a major communications outage and not due to any “nefarious attack.” But that didn’t help travelers understand what comes next.The shambolic lack of information led many passengers to form long lines at rental car counters in a mad dash for travel alternatives.AFPNovember 14, 2026 06:56 Microsoft says FAA nationwide ground stop unrelated to its services“We have no indication that the FAA’s nationwide ground stop is related to any Microsoft services,” Microsoft said in an update on social media.November 14, 2026 06:55 All departing U.S. flights grounded due to communication outageAll flights in the U.S. were grounded on Friday (November 13, 2026), sparking travel chaos across the vast country, after what government officials said was a major communications outage, insisting it was not the result of any “nefarious attack.”The nationwide stop left tens of thousands of passengers in limbo, with some pulled off planes moments before departure by airline staff who appeared in the dark about unfolding events.The incident marked only the second time such an alert was given in U.S. airspace since the 9/11 attacks.All departing U.S. flights grounded due to communication outageNationwide FAA grounding halts all U.S. flights after a telecom outage sparks chaos, confusion, and travel disruption. Published - November 14, 2026 06:49 am IST