Washington, D.C. — The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered a nationwide ground stop Friday afternoon, November 13th, suspending aircraft departures at airports across the United States following a widespread communications failure affecting the nation’s air traffic control system.
The disruption prompted federal aviation officials to halt departures as a safety precaution while technicians worked to identify and resolve the problem.
In an official advisory issued Friday afternoon, the FAA cited “extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety” in ordering aircraft operators nationwide to suspend departures until further notice.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed that the ground stop followed communications problems affecting the FAA’s Air Route Traffic Control Centers, which coordinate aircraft movements across large portions of the nation’s airspace.
“The FAA issued a nationwide ground stop for all U.S. airports following a communication issue impacting all Air Route Traffic Control Centers. FAA technicians are investigating the issue. We will provide immediate updates as we have them,” Duffy said in a public statement.
The nationwide order prevented aircraft on the ground from departing, although flights already airborne were permitted to continue to their destinations and land. International flights arriving in the United States were being handled individually.
The FAA issued the nationwide restriction at approximately 12:54 p.m. Pacific Time, following earlier reports of communications and equipment problems affecting air traffic operations in Chicago.
Federal officials investigating cause of outage
Federal officials have attributed the disruption to widespread telecommunications problems affecting air traffic control operations, although the precise cause of the failure remains under investigation.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin indicated that authorities had not identified evidence suggesting a cyberattack or other deliberate act, while emphasizing that determining the cause would remain part of the federal investigation.
The outage has raised additional questions about the reliability of the nation’s aging air traffic control infrastructure, which has experienced equipment failures and other operational challenges in recent years.
The federal government has been pursuing a multibillion-dollar modernization effort intended to replace outdated communications equipment and improve the reliability of the national airspace system.
Travelers urged to check flight status
The nationwide ground stop is expected to have significant consequences for commercial air travel, including flights serving airports throughout Oregon and the Pacific Northwest.
Even after the FAA authorizes departures to resume, travelers could experience additional delays as airlines work to reposition aircraft, restore flight schedules and accommodate affected passengers.
Travelers scheduled to depart from or arrive at airports including Redmond Municipal Airport, Portland International Airport and other regional facilities are encouraged to contact their airlines directly for the latest flight information.
The FAA maintains a public aviation status system at fly.faa.gov, where travelers can review airport delays, ground stops and other operational restrictions.
Mr. Alderman is an investigative journalist specializing in government transparency, non-profit accountability, consumer protection, and is a subject matter expert on Oregon’s public records and meetings laws. As a former U.S. Army Military Police Officer, he brings a disciplined investigative approach to his reporting that has frequently exposed ethics violations, financial mismanagement, and transparency failures by public officials and agencies.
