# FAA grounds all flights in the U.S. until further notice: Reports cite air traffic control outage

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9 outlets covering · First listed: Fast Company, Nov 13, 2026, 4:16 PM · Read it: <https://www.fastcompany.com/91642564/faa-grounds-all-flights-in-us-until-further-notice-reports-cite-air-traffic-control-atc-outage>

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, 3:06 PM: [FAA imposes nationwide ground stop on all flights](<https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/infrastructure/4802941/faa-imposes-nationwide-ground-stop-on-all-flights/>) — Washington Examiner (Magazine, United States, rated Lean right)
  The Federal Aviation Administration halted all flight departures nationwide Friday afternoon due to a “rolling frequency outage” affecting facilities that monitor planes in the air. The cause remained unclear Friday, and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said Friday evening that investigators were looking into it, but suggested that a telecommunications issue caused the disruption. AIR
- 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, 4:16 PM: [FAA grounds all flights in the U.S. until further notice: Reports cite air traffic control outage](<https://www.fastcompany.com/91642564/faa-grounds-all-flights-in-us-until-further-notice-reports-cite-air-traffic-control-atc-outage>) — Fast Company (Magazine, United States)
- 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, 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, 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, 9:32 PM: [FAA ground stop lifted: Why were US flights grounded, and what’s next?](<https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/11/14/faa-ground-stop-lifted-why-were-us-flights-grounded-and-whats-next>) — Al Jazeera (TV network, Qatar, rated Lean left)
  The FAA says nationwide ground stop disrupting thousands of US flights was caused by a telecommunications outage.