US airports grounded for four hours after major system outage
Flights across the United States were halted for over four hours on November 13, 2026, after a communications failure disrupted air traffic control systems.
On November 13, 2026, a major system outage caused widespread disruption to air travel across the United States, grounding flights at airports nationwide for over four hours. The crisis began when communications and radar systems at air traffic control centers experienced outages, prompting the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to order a nationwide ground stop for safety reasons.
The issue, attributed to a malfunction in the aging communications network, led to inconsistent information and disruptions to communications and radar systems, prompting authorities to halt departures as a precaution. While some international departures were allowed under special arrangements, thousands of flights were affected, and airlines struggled to reposition aircraft and crews.
The incident has raised questions about the reliability of the aviation infrastructure and prompted the Trump administration to request an additional $50 billion in funding to modernize air traffic control systems.
Brief written by urgent.news from Ajel English's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
