Communications Failure Hits 22 U.S. Centers, Halting Aircraft Departures Until Further Notice
Key Facts
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration halted aircraft departures nationwide on November 13, 2026, after a communications problem affected 22 regional air traffic control centers, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said. The centers direct aircraft as they travel between airports, extending the disruption across the national air traffic control network. Duffy said FAA technicians were investigating the problem, while the operational notice said departures would remain halted until further notice. The agency imposed the measure for safety reasons, Axios reported. The order did not impose an absolute ban on arriving international flights; those were to be handled case by case.
The timeline for resuming departures remained unclear, and the Associated Press said the grounding order was in effect until at least 11 p.m. Eastern time on Friday. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin did not give a time for the return of operations. The FAA said all flights were accounted for, indicating that aircraft had been tracked during the disruption. The measure was thus focused on departures, while arriving international flights remained subject to a separate assessment for each flight. Axios reported that the effects of the crisis could extend into the weekend, with the lack of departures potentially putting pressure on gate and aircraft parking capacity.
Mullin described the incident as a communications outage, saying, "There is nothing at this point that indicates this is a malicious attack against us. It's just a communications outage." He added that investigators would examine the possibility of a link to a new artificial intelligence tool, but said the system operates from one site near Washington and sends recommendations to air traffic control centers. The Associated Press confirmed that FAA technicians were investigating the failure, without reporting a definitive technical cause. The statement puts a possible link to the tool within the scope of the investigation, rather than identifying it as an established cause of the outage. Published information did not specify when the investigation's findings would be released or departures would resume.
This was the first nationwide halt in air traffic since January 2023, when a major computer system at the Federal Aviation Administration failed, according to the Associated Press. That followed a nationwide halt after the September 11, 2001, attacks. Aviation safety expert Steve Arroyo said November's aircraft were not told to return and land immediately, unlike during the halt that followed the attacks. He said pilots likely remained able to communicate with air traffic controllers at airports. The difference highlights the distinction between suspending new takeoffs and directing aircraft already in the air to land. A previous regional outage in September 2026 led to the cancellation of hundreds of flights, including more than 600 to and from Newark Airport.
The nationwide halt came as the FAA moves ahead with upgrades to air traffic control infrastructure, including replacing old copper wires with fiber-optic lines and gradually updating outdated airport radio systems. The Associated Press reported that Congress approved $12.5 billion for the initiative in July 2025. According to the Government Accountability Office, the FAA said it had replaced 2,560 of 5,170 old copper lines with high-speed fiber optics as of May 2026. The FAA said more than 64% of its copper-based communications network had been replaced with modern equipment by September 1, 2026, and that more than 403 radio sites had been converted. These figures show the scope of ongoing upgrade work, while the cause of November's failure remained under investigation.
The plan includes funding phases and a timeline that extend beyond addressing existing communications networks. The Government Accountability Office said the first phase of the upgrade is expected to be completed by December 2028, and that Congress allocated $12.5 billion for the initiative in July 2025. The FAA also cited the Modern Skies bill, which aims to invest $30 billion in upgrading the air traffic control system's digital infrastructure and airport infrastructure. For the second phase, which includes developing new automated systems to track aircraft and improve traffic flow, the FAA estimates needs of about $10.2 billion, excluding facilities, according to the Government Accountability Office. Sources did not link the upgrade work to the cause of the current outage, while the timing for lifting the halt remained subject to FAA updates.