Passengers line up at the Southwest Airlines counter to speak with a representative at Eppley Airfield in Omaha, Neb., Friday, Nov. 13, 2026.
Nikos Frazier | Omaha World-Herald | Lee Newspapers | Getty Images
The Federal Aviation Administration halted departing flights nationwide Friday after reporting communications problems affecting “multiple” air traffic control centers.
The problems were related to communications and radar issues, according to an internal message from Alaska Airlineswhich was seen by CNBC.
“The FAA has ordered a nationwide shutdown for all U.S. airports following communications issues affecting multiple air traffic control centers,” the FAA said.
A ground stopover stops flights at their point of departure. Departing traffic was halted until further notice, the agency said, disrupting hundreds of flights. Disruptions tend to snowball if ground stops become prolonged as flight crews reach their maximum number of on-duty hours per day.
Nationwide ground stops are extremely rare. In January 2023, the FAA halted flights due to problems with a pilot alert system. Before that, traffic was halted across the country after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
The agency said Friday afternoon that “FAA technicians are investigating the issue.”
Incoming international flights will be handled on a case-by-case basis, the FAA said.
United Airlines said in a statement that “air flights will continue.” United added that it “will work with our customers to get them to their destination once this issue is resolved.”
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