Air travel across the United States faced severe disruptions when a nationwide ground stop halted departures for over four hours on Friday.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered the suspension after an aging communications network suffered a major overload.
Copper to Fibre Conversion Linked to System Overload
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told reporters on Saturday, November 14, 2026, that government contractor L3Harris Technologies was replacing old copper wire with new fibre wire at a remote site when the network malfunctioned. The new routers began flooding other network nodes with more than 1,000 connection attempts every four to five seconds, according to abc.net.au. The resulting instability affected multiple air traffic control centers.
“Our contractor didn’t meet the moment or the equipment didn’t meet the moment,” Sean Duffy said, according to abc.net.au. L3Harris stated it was supporting the investigation to understand the conditions that led to the ground stop, while declining to address specific criticisms from the Department of Transportation.
Sean Duffy must resign, or President Trump must remove him immediately. America’s airspace ground to a halt yesterday, leaving thousands of flights canceled and travelers stranded across the country. More than 3,500 planes were already in the air as radar and communications…
The Federal Aviation Administration spends $US1 billion annually to maintain its legacy copper wire system, which features hardware that was originally scheduled for replacement in 2006. L3Harris has completed more than 70 per cent of the planned airspace communications conversion to fibre optics, according to abc.net.au.
Thousands of Flights Cancelled Across Airlines
The nationwide ground stop forced airlines to scrap nearly 10,000 flights during the emergency, creating a massive backlog of delayed services at major airports. Flight-tracking data cited by CNBC showed that airlines faced rolling cancellations that stretched into the weekend.
The safety of our skies is built on redundancies. Whatever led to the nationwide ground stop will warrant a thorough and complete investigation. As Aviation Subcommittee Ranking Member, I'll be demanding answers from the FAA. https://t.co/kCJts7xBRm
Delta Air Lines and American Airlines each cancelled more than 2,200 flights, while United Airlines scrubbed 1,800 services. “Everybody's safe. There's no reason to be concerned about your loved ones if they're flying,” US Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said, reassuring passengers about the overall safety of air operations.
International services also suffered cascading delays.
The nationwide FAA ground stop has been lifted. Flight delays and cancellations continue. Check with your airline for the latest information.
Sports Teams and Holiday Travel Affected
The sudden aviation shutdown threw collegiate and professional sports schedules into disarray as teams scrambled to reach weekend games. Several National Collegiate Athletic Association football programs, including Utah, Texas, and Tennessee, had to alter travel plans or charter buses when flights were grounded, ESPN reported.
Transportation officials urged lawmakers to approve additional funding to modernize the nation’s air traffic control infrastructure. The disruption arrived less than a week before the Thanksgiving travel rush, during which industry group Airlines for America forecasts nearly 29 million passengers will fly on US carriers between November 20 and 30, according to abc.net.au.
Why airlines did not compensate stranded passengers
Why didn’t airlines compensate stranded passengers?
US carriers are not required to pay compensation because the shutdown stemmed from Federal Aviation Administration system failures rather than airline operations.
“It is going to take us some time to unwind what has happened,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said.
Scenes from the FAA stoppage: Colorado State is holding a walk-through at Northern Colorado Regional Airport as the team waits to fly to Pullman to play at Washington State on Saturday night. pic.twitter.com/JiKvb9FAJ5
What caused the router communications overload?
Federal officials are investigating whether the incident resulted from contractor incompetence, incorrect hardware configuration, or a defective router installed during routine line maintenance, Yahoo News Australia reported.
When was the air traffic control network last overhauled?
A 2023 Federal Aviation Administration-commissioned safety review called the infrastructure obsolete, noting that parts of the system rely on hardware dating back decades, according to CBS News and Yahoo News Australia.
“With a brand new state of the art system, we wouldn't have these outages… At 8:15 tonight, eastern time, we've opened up the air space…" Secretary Mullin & Secretary Duffy provide an update on the FAA National Ground Stop. pic.twitter.com/twTyQ9UJQ0”
More on Sean Duffy
Secretary Mullin and Secretary Duffy Brief Members of the Press on the FAA Ground Stop https://t.co/uyvQ5bVOvb
The FAA-mandated ground stop has been lifted and we are safely resuming flights. We encourage you to check the Delta app or https://t.co/19TGEJUCaj for flight status and the latest updates. Thank you for your understanding as we work as quickly as possible to fully restore…
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