SEATTLE — The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has halted flights at airports across the United States due to unspecified ‘extraordinary circumstances’ and safety.
The cause of the ground stop was not immediately clear, but an FAA spokesperson told CNN there is a communications problem impacting Air Route Traffic Control Centers, which handle flights going across the country.
United States Secretary of Transportation says FAA technicians are investigating the issue.
The @FAAnews issued a nationwide ground stop for all U.S. airports following a communication issue impacting all Air Route Traffic Control Centers. FAA technicians are investigating the issue. We will provide immediate updates as we have them.
— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) November 13, 2026
The last time there was a nationwide ground stop was in 2023 when a pilot notification system went down.
Before that, the last time a nationwide ground stop was issued was after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in New York.
Here is a look at how many flights were in the air at the time that KIRO 7 News learned about the ground stop:
“At the moment, the FAA is saying that the airborne airplanes can continue to their destinations,” aviation expert Scott Hamilton told KIRO 7 News.
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport says departures are temporarily suspended.
The FAA has issued a ground stop affecting departures at SEA and other airports across the country. Departures are temporarily suspended. Please check with your airline for flight updates. We'll provide updates as more information becomes available. pic.twitter.com/MDNtlcKmii
— Seattle-Tacoma Intl. Airport (@flySEA) November 13, 2026
No word as to how long this ground stop will last.
This is a developing story and will be updated when more information becomes available.
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