Thousands of U.S. flights remained canceled or delayed on Sunday as airlines struggled to resume normal operations two days after the Federal Aviation Administration ordered a nationwide ground stop.
Routers Overload Airspace
The travel disruption began at 3:54 p.m. on Friday. Eastern Time on Friday, November 13, 2026, when the Federal Aviation Administration ordered a nationwide ground stop citing a telecommunications outage affecting air route traffic control centers. The stoppage lasted for more than four hours before the airspace was reopened.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said that routers in the air traffic control system were overloaded with data during a routine replacement of communication links in southern Arkansas. Workers were switching from analog copper wiring to fiber optic cables at a facility in El Dorado, Arkansas, when the system began flooding other network nodes.
NOW: Air travel update from USDOT HQhttps://t.co/mbCWxKPm6O
Officials said that the work in Arkansas was carried out by a single contractor who is also a U.S. veteran, while a second issue was noticed at a radar facility in Amarillo, Texas, where upgrade work had been performed weeks before.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin told reporters that there was no indication of any nefarious activity causing the nationwide ground stop. FBI Director Kash Patel, the director of national intelligence, and the Defense Department participated in a conference call because of initial concerns regarding a potential foreign cyberattack, though officials later said they had no indication of a hack or sabotage during installation.
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Rebecca Guy, the FAA’s chief technology officer, told reporters that the abnormal rate of connections pinging the network from both facilities forced officials to declare the ground stop.
“We had 1,000 connection attempts every four to five seconds,” Duffy told reporters, according to Al Jazeera.
You’ve literally controlled Congress for the past two years. And apparently, there’s always been money for vanity projects. But none to fix our air traffic control system? Perhaps Trump should prioritize aviation safety over his pathetic Arch. https://t.co/MiiasllRiM
The data overload affected communications at 17 of the Federal Aviation Administration’s 22 en route centers, prompting officials to halt all departing flights nationwide out of caution. Federal officials ruled out a cyberattack or artificial intelligence involvement after emergency briefings with national security apparatus officials.
“We have seen zero evidence of anything nefarious, and zero evidence of anything AI-related,” said Federal Aviation Administrator Bryan Bedford, according to ABC News.
Airports Face Backlogs
The weekend fallout led to more than 5,000 flight cancellations on Saturday following over 9,000 cancellations on Friday, according to Al Jazeera. FlightAware reported that airlines had canceled more than 6,400 U.S. flights and delayed more than 8,000 on Saturday, while 875 flights scheduled for Sunday were already canceled by that time.
Tracking data from FlightAware reported 17,670 delayed flights and 2,218 canceled flights nationwide by late Sunday morning, with recovery expected by late Sunday, as reported by NBC Los Angeles.
Airports across the country experienced long passenger lines and severe scheduling bottlenecks. At Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport and Midway Airport, hundreds of flights were canceled, while people sought alternative travel arrangements or waited for baggage.
In Southern California, Los Angeles International Airport reported 246 delays and 73 cancellations, John Wayne Airport recorded 49 delays and 16 cancellations, Hollywood/Burbank Airport saw 36 delays and 11 cancellations, and Long Beach Airport had 23 delays and one cancellation. Major conference athletic events, such as a matchup between Mississippi and Oklahoma, adjusted kickoff times or opted for bus travel to accommodate the transportation gridlock.
The Nationwide FAA ground stop has been lifted. Flight delays and cancelations continue. Check with your airline for the latest https://t.co/Zpow6JkKEJ
“Flights just kept getting delayed, pushed back. Had to stay there a little while, but we got through it. Glad to be back home,” passenger Johnny Barginear told ABC7 Chicago.
Lawmakers Debate Funding
The incident ignited a partisan funding debate in Washington. Duffy implored Congress to authorize $50 billion in total funding to upgrade aviation systems, raising his request from an earlier $30 billion proposal after Congress approved $12.5 billion last year, as detailed by CNN. Missouri Senator Eric Schmitt pushed for his legislative bill, the Modern Skies Act, which would invest $30 billion in modernizing the aviation system.
The FAA’s nationwide ground stop has been lifted. We're focused on operating as many remaining flights as possible this evening while positioning the airline for the strongest possible recovery in the days ahead. Customers are encouraged to check the status of their flights on…
Democratic lawmakers countered that the agency already holds unspent funds from previous legislation.
“All I need is the money to finish it. And my, my hope is that if they give me money today, I’ll be going tomorrow to build it,” Duffy told CNN.
Earlier coverage: Thousands of Flights Canceled as Airlines Work to Dig Out From Nationwide Ground Stop
The FAA has issued a nationwide ground stop for all flights. Travelers should confirm their flight status with their airline before heading to the airport.
More on Ground Stop
Yesterday's FAA nationwide ground stop led to significant disruption across our operation. Our team is working diligently to get you on your way. Customers traveling today are encouraged to monitor their flight status and view their latest rebooking options on the American app…
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