By Sarah Jay · Updated November 15, 2026 · Compiled from reporting by CBS News, ABC News, Al Jazeera, Yahoo News and Anadolu Agency, cross-checked against each other. Nothing here is sponsored.
The FAA ground stop that halted every departure in the United States on Friday, Nov. 13, was triggered by a single router that began flooding the air traffic control network during routine contractor work, federal officials say. The stop lasted a little over four hours. Its knock-on effects wiped out more than 15,000 flights across Friday and Saturday, and airlines expect schedules to be back to normal by the end of Sunday.
Here’s what’s confirmed so far, where the reporting still differs, and what comes next for travelers and for Congress.
What happened on Friday
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered departures halted nationwide on Friday afternoon. CBS News put the start at 3:36 p.m. Eastern, while Al Jazeera reported 3:54 p.m. Eastern. Both outlets agree it was lifted around 8:15 to 8:20 p.m. Eastern, after roughly four hours.
About 3,500 planes were in the air at the time, according to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. They were allowed to keep flying and land. CBS News reported that all of them landed safely.
This was rare. CBS News noted it was the first nationwide ground stop since January 2023, and before that, Sept. 11, 2001.
The communications problem wasn’t cosmetic. Nick Daniels, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, said controllers lost contact with some aircraft and had to move flights onto frequencies that still worked. “We know we didn’t have communications with airplanes,” he said, according to Yahoo News.
What caused the FAA ground stop
Officials have settled on a broad explanation, though the exact fault is still under investigation.
Contractor L3Harris was doing maintenance at a remote FAA site, swapping old copper lines for fiber optic cable. Duffy said a router then began flooding other routers in the network, making “1,000 connection attempts every four to five seconds,” as quoted by Al Jazeera. That overload made information flow unreliable across the system.
Al Jazeera reported that communications were affected at 17 of the FAA’s 22 en route centers, the facilities that handle planes at cruising altitude. The Professional Aviation Safety Specialists union, which represents FAA technicians, said the problem was isolated to two routers updated that day, reportedly in Arkansas and Texas, and that its members didn’t take part in the upgrade.
CBS News went a step further. Senior government sources told the network the issue involved Cisco 600 series routers made between 2001 and 2006. That detail comes from CBS alone and hasn’t been confirmed by the FAA publicly.
Was it a cyberattack? Officials say no. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said there were no indications of one, and FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said there was “zero evidence of anything nefarious.” Duffy put it plainly: “So we don’t believe this was cyber at all.” Al Jazeera reported that the White House held an emergency Situation Room meeting on Friday while that question was still open.
Key numbers
Counts have shifted through the weekend as airlines updated their schedules, so the figures below depend on when they were taken.
- Friday cancellations: 9,159, according to FlightAware data cited by CBS News; ABC News reported nearly 9,200.
- Saturday cancellations: more than 5,200 according to ABC News, and more than 6,400 as of 9 p.m. Eastern according to FlightAware figures cited by Yahoo News.
- Sunday: about 800 flights had already been canceled by Saturday night, mostly by American and JetBlue, Yahoo News reported.
- Bedford’s own estimate for Saturday was 4,000 to 5,000 cancellations, a forecast the final tally beat.
Bedford said about 12,000 flights were lost overall and crews ended up out of position, which is why the disruption dragged into a second day. “The worst is behind us,” he said, per Al Jazeera.
What each side is saying
The Trump administration
Duffy has pointed at two things: L3Harris and old equipment. He said officials haven’t determined whether the cause was contractor error or a faulty router, telling reporters “we haven’t determined what the fault was.” He also said L3Harris “didn’t meet the moment” and that people would be held accountable, according to Al Jazeera.
On Friday he framed it as an infrastructure problem. “What we have is an incredibly old air traffic control system,” Duffy said, as quoted by CBS News. He added that a $12.5 billion “down payment secured by President Trump” wasn’t enough. Late Friday the administration raised its air traffic control funding request to $50 billion, up from an earlier $30 billion ask.
L3Harris
The company hasn’t responded directly to Duffy’s criticism. In a statement reported by ABC News and Al Jazeera, L3Harris said it’s supporting the FAA’s investigation and has finished more than 70% of the planned conversion from copper to fiber. It said safety and reliability are its top priorities.
Congress
The reaction has been mostly bipartisan on the need for a review. Rep. Sam Graves, the Missouri Republican who chairs the House Transportation Committee, called the communication failures “concerning” and said his committee would look into them, joined by the panel’s top Democrat, Rep. Rick Larsen of Washington. Sen. Maria Cantwell of Washington, the top Democrat on the Senate Commerce Committee, said her committee would review the technology problems too.
The sharper words came from Democrats outside that review. Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois criticized Duffy for blaming Congress. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul called on Duffy to resign. A White House spokesperson called Hochul’s demand a political ploy, according to Yahoo News.
What travelers can do now
If your flight was canceled and you decide not to travel, you’re owed a refund, Yahoo News reported, and Bedford said travelers would either be rebooked or get a full refund.
Most major airlines issued travel waivers allowing free rebooking, but the terms vary. American’s waiver covered trips at 21 airports with changes required by Saturday, while Delta’s covered travel through Sunday, per Yahoo News. American also capped fares on domestic and short international routes and added about 1,750 seats on extra flights Saturday, ABC News reported.
One catch: airline promises on hotels and meals generally don’t apply to FAA ground stops, because the delay wasn’t the airline’s fault. Al Jazeera reported that some stranded passengers faced surge pricing for hotels and rental cars.
Duffy’s advice was simple. Check with your airline before heading to the airport. CBS News reported that delays were still possible Sunday at Boston, Atlanta, Miami, Pittsburgh, New York, Los Angeles and Baltimore.
What happens next
The FAA is running additional tests with L3Harris to check for further risks, according to Al Jazeera, and by L3Harris’s own count, less than 30% of the fiber conversion is left. That leaves an obvious question about the remaining work, and officials haven’t said whether it’s paused.
On the political side, expect hearings. The House Transportation Committee and Senate Commerce Committee have both said they’ll review the outage, and the $50 billion request now sits with lawmakers. Democrats are set to control both chambers in the next Congress after the midterms, which we covered in our 2026 midterm election results explainer, so the funding fight could carry into January.
Why it matters
This is analysis, separate from the facts above.
The FAA’s equipment problems aren’t new. Aging technology and a shortage of several thousand controllers have been long-running issues, as Al Jazeera noted, and the January 2023 ground stop was also blamed on old systems. What’s different this time is that the failure happened during an upgrade, which cuts against a simple “old tech” story. In my view, the investigation’s answer to Duffy’s own question, contractor error or faulty hardware, will shape how Congress writes the next funding bill and how much oversight it attaches to contractors.
It’s also a week of transport stress. Elivestory reported Friday on the New Orleans cruise ship collision, another case where investigators are still working through what went wrong.
FAQ
Why were all US flights grounded on Nov. 13?
Federal officials say a router at a remote FAA site began flooding the air traffic control network with connection attempts during routine work by contractor L3Harris. The overload disrupted communications at many en route centers. The FAA stopped all departures as a precaution while planes already in the air landed.
Was the FAA ground stop a cyberattack?
No, according to officials. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said there were no signs of a cyberattack, and FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said there was “zero evidence of anything nefarious.” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said he doesn’t believe it was cyber-related at all.
How long did the nationwide ground stop last?
Just over four hours. It began Friday afternoon, Nov. 13, between about 3:36 and 3:54 p.m. Eastern depending on the outlet, and was lifted around 8:15 to 8:20 p.m. Eastern. The cancellations it caused continued through Saturday.
Can I get a refund for a flight canceled by the ground stop?
Yes. If your flight was canceled and you choose not to travel, you’re owed a refund. Most major airlines also offered waivers for free rebooking, with terms that vary by carrier. Hotel and meal coverage generally doesn’t apply because the FAA, not the airline, caused the disruption.
When will flights be back to normal?
FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said airlines expect full schedules by the close of business on Sunday, Nov. 15. Some delays were still possible at major hubs. Travelers should check their flight status with their airline before going to the airport.
Who is L3Harris?
L3Harris is a US aerospace and defense company that runs the FAA’s communications network under contract. The New York Times reported, as cited by Al Jazeera, that about three-quarters of its revenue comes from US government contracts. The company says it’s cooperating with the FAA investigation.
Sources
- CBS News: Flights expected to return to normal by Sunday night
- ABC News: FAA ground stop live updates
- Al Jazeera: What forced the US to ground all planes?
- Yahoo News: FAA ground stop latest updates
- Anadolu Agency: Morning Briefing, Nov. 15, 2026
This story is developing and will be updated as the FAA investigation continues.
Sources and Editorial Notes
Elivestory aims to use relevant sources, separate confirmed information from speculation and update important details when reliable new information becomes available.
Sarah Jay
Sarah Jay is a journalist, fact-checker, and writer who creates well-researched articles using information from credible and trusted sources. She combines verified facts with thoughtful analysis, offering readers clear, balanced, and insightful perspectives on the topics she covers.
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