FAA halts all US departures after telecom glitch

The Federal Aviation Administration froze all departing flights across the United States on Friday, Nov. 13, in a move that has grounded the nation's aviation system. The agency ordered the stoppage due to extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety, leaving travelers and operators without a specific timeline for a return to normal operations.

The FAA identified a temporary telecommunications outage as the underlying cause of the disruption. In a directive sent to all airports, the agency stated that all departing traffic should remain ground stopped until further notice. The order noted that inbound international flights would be managed on a case-by-case basis, creating an uneven flow of air traffic across the country.

This is the first nationwide ground stop since January 2023, when a key FAA computer system malfunctioned. Before that, the last such occurrence followed the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The rarity of the event underscores the operational strain on the air traffic control system during this period.

Secretary Sean Duffy posted an update on X regarding the situation. The FAA also confirmed the outage on the same platform, providing minimal additional detail beyond the initial order for all aircraft operators to remain on the ground.

At Detroit Metro Airport, FlightAware reported average departure delays of one hour, with the figure continuing to increase. The local impact mirrors the national picture, where planes remain parked at gates while the agency works to resolve the telecommunications issue.

The ground stop remains in effect as of late Friday afternoon. The FAA has not provided a specific time for when departing traffic might resume, leaving the duration of the delay uncertain for passengers and airlines alike.