# FAA launched new AI ‘SMART’ tool to all air route traffic control centers just days before nationwide ground stop

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20 outlets covering · First listed: NY Post, Nov 13, 2026, 4:44 PM · Read it: <https://nypost.com/2026/11/13/us-news/faa-launched-new-ai-smart-tool-to-all-air-route-traffic-control-centers-just-days-before-nationwide-ground-stop/>

A new AI-supported air traffic system was rolled out to all of FAA’s control centers three days before an extremely rare ground stop halted planes across the US Friday, according to the agency.

AI summary (may contain mistakes): A nationwide FAA ground stop on Friday, which the FAA said was caused by a telecommunications outage, was later lifted. Air Space Intelligence denied that its SMART tool was linked to the ground stop, The Hill reported. The grounding disrupted travel plans for college and NFL teams, including Texas, Arizona State and Ole Miss.

## Who's covering it

In the order they published:

- Nov 12, 2026, 7:12 PM: [The FAA Is Rolling Out Its AI Air Traffic Tool Nationwide](<https://gizmodo.com/the-faa-is-rolling-out-its-ai-air-traffic-tool-nationwide-2000839347>) — Gizmodo (Digital news, United States)
  The FAA has reassured the public and airlines that SMART only suggests routes and doesn't affect air safety.
- Nov 13, 2026, 3:08 PM: [FAA ends hours-long nationwide ground stop](<https://www.axios.com/2026/11/13/faa-nationwide-ground-stop>) — Hacker News (Aggregator, United States)
  The FAA lifted its nationwide ground stop Friday night after hours of chaos and thousands of delays and cancellations.Why it matters: The effects of the rare and extreme move will likely ripple through the weekend, with travelers stranded and airlines' planes and crews out of position.Driving the news: In a Friday evening press conference, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the ground stop was issued after outdated air traffic control communications equipment suffered from "overloaded data, and they went down."Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin added that officials are looking…
- Nov 13, 2026, 3:35 PM: [The FAA lifts its over four-hour nationwide ground stop for US airports caused by "communication issues affecting multiple Air Route Traffic Control Centers" (Alex Fitzpatrick/Axios)](<https://www.techmeme.com/261113/p30>) — Techmeme (Aggregator, United States)
- Nov 13, 2026, 3:41 PM: [FAA grounds all flights at U.S. airports due to air traffic control communications problems](<https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/faa-grounds-all-flights-at-u-s-airports-due-to-air-traffic-control-communications-problems>) — PBS NewsHour (Public broadcaster, United States, rated Lean left)
  The nation's top homeland security official attributed the problem to a telecommunications outage and said there was no indication yet of a nefarious act.
- Nov 13, 2026, 4:14 PM: [FAA grounds all flights across the U.S. due to air traffic control communications problems](<https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMi4AFBVV95cUxQWnBCX3ZEYmFWLTVmc2dmbFNkQ1d6MF9ZdUFKWEVIUTZpaEFpOGNLODdmNFoyZHVxMnNoM1Zic1FGeHE4ejBCT0gxVWZrZzNEOWpDSTlnYkpGOVNicTlHZnIyTmxJQjlzU0hjTFAwM29LX1kxbDRuck5kOWYyb2x3UnFTc2pNelJzV2hBaW8xQm9GbU5ocm8zdG9OOEdDbmZ5dXpZQ1hYampzUWJYbVBKRjVORHN3VEtreFNxT2RiWk5nZTNxWWRDZDZ6bW0wSUxqeDdidzFZYjRWVTl2bm1fRA?oc=5>) — AP (Wire service, United States, rated Center)
- Nov 13, 2026, 4:27 PM: [What we know about the FAA nationwide ground stop](<https://www.npr.org/2026/11/13/nx-s1-6040388/what-we-know-about-the-faa-nationwide-ground-stop>) — NPR (Public broadcaster, United States, rated Lean left)
  The Federal Aviation Administration took an extraordinary step Friday afternoon by issuing a nationwide ground stop. No planes are taking off at any airport and millions of passengers are stranded.
- Nov 13, 2026, 4:42 PM: [All US flights grounded by FAA](<https://www.theregister.com/offbeat/2026/11/13/all-us-flights-grounded-by-faa/5309912>) — The Register (Digital news, United Kingdom)
  Safety reasons and unspecified communications issue cited
- Nov 13, 2026, 4:44 PM: [FAA launched new AI ‘SMART’ tool to all air route traffic control centers just days before nationwide ground stop](<https://nypost.com/2026/11/13/us-news/faa-launched-new-ai-smart-tool-to-all-air-route-traffic-control-centers-just-days-before-nationwide-ground-stop/>) — NY Post (Newspaper, United States, rated Lean right)
  A new AI-supported air traffic system was rolled out to all of FAA’s control centers three days before an extremely rare ground stop halted planes across the US Friday, according to the agency.
- Nov 13, 2026, 6:00 PM: [FAA grounds all U.S. flights days after expanding its AI air traffic system](<https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/faa-grounds-all-u-s-flights-days-after-expanding-its-ai-air-traffic-system/>) — Scientific American (Magazine, United States)
  National ground stops of this kind are exceedingly rare
- Nov 13, 2026, 6:53 PM: [Texas football stuck in Austin after FAA nationwide ground stop](<https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/texas-football-stuck-austin-faa-005326450.html>) — Yahoo Sports (Sports, United States)
  Texas football has one ranked opponent remaining on its schedule, but there is no telling when the team will arrive for that matchup. The Longhorns boarded the airplane for their trip to Baton Rouge, Louisiana on Friday afternoon, but because of a nationwide ground stop issued by the Federal Aviation Administration, they are stuck in Austin for the
- Nov 13, 2026, 7:32 PM: [FAA nationwide ground stop: Why it happened, according to officials](<https://mashable.com/tech/faa-nationwide-ground-stop-why>) — Mashable (Digital news, United States)
  Communication outage cause by outdated systems and network updates, not the FAA's new SMART AI tool.
- Nov 13, 2026, 7:32 PM: [FAA says nationwide ground stop is over after thousands of flights cancelled](<https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/article/faa-says-nationwide-ground-stop-is-over-after-thousands-of-flights-cancelled-013209016.html>) — Yahoo News (Digital news, United States, rated Lean left)
- Nov 13, 2026, 7:46 PM: [The FAA Nationwide Ground Stop Is Over](<https://www.wired.com/story/the-faa-nationwide-ground-stop-is-over/>) — Wired (Magazine, United States)
  The five-hour ordeal ended Friday evening. Planes will be allowed to fly again, but the effects of the stoppage will be felt throughout the weekend.
- Nov 13, 2026, 7:51 PM: [FAA lifts nationwide ground stop following historic halt on all air travel](<https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/national-security/4803692/faa-lifts-nationwide-ground-stop-halt-air-travel/>) — Washington Examiner (Magazine, United States, rated Lean right)
  The Federal Aviation Administration has lifted a nationwide ground stop on all flights Friday evening following an hourslong halt on air travel that left millions of airline passengers stranded. The ground stop was lifted shortly after 8 p.m. EST, just before Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin stepped out to brief
- Nov 13, 2026, 7:56 PM: [Airspace reopened after nationwide ground stop](<https://thehill.com/policy/transportation/6220313-faa-lifts-nationwide-ground-stop/>) — The Hill (Newspaper, United States, rated Center)
  The nationwide ground stop issued by the Federal Aviation Administration Friday afternoon has been lifted, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed. “At 8:15 tonight Eastern Time, we’ve opened up the airspace,” Duffy said to reporters in the White House briefing room during a press conference that began at around 8:30 p.m. EST. Duffy added that, although…
- Nov 13, 2026, 8:42 PM: [Scenes From the Nationwide Ground Stop](<https://www.theatlantic.com/photography/2026/11/photography-faa-nationwide-ground-stop/689445/>) — The Atlantic (Magazine, United States, rated Lean left)
  Some 1.5 million people experienced travel disruption on Friday.
- Nov 13, 2026, 8:42 PM: [Nationwide Ground Stop At Airports Lifted, FAA Says](<https://www.forbes.com/sites/antoniopequenoiv/2026/11/13/nationwide-ground-stop-at-airports-lifted-faa-says/>) — Forbes (Magazine, United States, rated Center)
  Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the ground stop was ordered following a "communication issue” impacting all air traffic control centers.
- Nov 13, 2026, 10:37 PM: [Nationwide ground stop lifted. So, now what?](<https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiiAFBVV95cUxQV0R5eXRQTWVmY09CVllDVzFQQ2RNOUNRSVFoV29PT3BETEFBSzE5ZmlYWHRGdnR3Wi03QlhnazF6UlJUWEN4S1Y3MHZKN29SRkd6ZVpSVHN0OFZXT0hKOHRBODNWT1RlRlc0elRVUjhUWHhxUDZSRGwtc0NINFM4czR3OWhCTEF3?oc=5>) — CNN (TV network, United States, rated Lean left)
- Nov 13, 2026, 10:47 PM: [What to Know About Friday’s Nationwide Ground Stop](<https://www.nytimes.com/2026/11/13/us/faa-ground-stop-flights-what-to-know.html>) — New York Times (Newspaper, United States, rated Lean left)
  The air traffic control system’s overloaded, antiquated telecommunications equipment sustained its latest widespread failure, prompting a call for more money to fuel faster upgrades.
- Nov 14, 2026, 1:44 AM: [Duffy Denies FAA AI Tool Caused Nationwide Ground Stop](<https://thedefiant.io/frontier/ai/duffy-denies-faa-ai-tool-caused-nationwide-ground-stop>) — The Defiant (Specialist)
  The FAA announced SMART’s expansion to airspace covered by 22 centers on Nov. 10. Duffy blamed overloaded legacy telecom equipment for Friday’s halt.