US flight disruption persists after nationwide ground stop ends
US flight disruption is expected to last through the weekend as JetBlue cancels flights and airlines reposition aircraft and crews.
- The FAA lifted a nationwide ground stop on November 13 after it was in effect for more than four hours.
- A technical failure affecting communications at multiple air traffic control centers caused the disruption, which impacted over 10,000 flights.
- Officials from the Department of Homeland Security stated there was no indication of a security threat related to the incident.
- Despite the ground stop being lifted, widespread flight cancellations and delays were expected to continue through the weekend.
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) lifted its nationwide halt to flight departures at 8.15pm Eastern Time on Friday (November 13, 2026), ending more than four hours of restrictions, although disruption was expected to continue through the weekend.
The lifting time was equivalent to 8.15am on Saturday (November 14) in Thailand.
A technical failure affecting communications at multiple air traffic control centres disrupted more than 10,000 flights. The nationwide ground stop was only the second imposed since the September 11, 2001 attacks.
US Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin told reporters at the White House that there was no indication of a threat to the United States.
JetBlue cancellations extend into Saturday
JetBlue Airways told employees it would cancel its remaining Friday flights, except European services, along with additional flights on Saturday (November 14). The cancellations would allow the airline to reposition crews and aircraft in preparation for restoring normal operations.
Airports also needed to find parking space for aircraft, adding to congestion and delays even after the nationwide restriction ended.
A ground stop requires flights to remain at their departure airports. Extended restrictions can cause disruption to spread across airline networks as crews reach their maximum permitted daily duty hours, preventing some services from operating even when take-offs are allowed again.
Cirium records hundreds of diversions
Aviation data company Cirium reported that about 11,000 flights had been scheduled to depart US airports after 4pm Eastern Time on Friday.
In a separate count as of 5.50pm Eastern Time, Cirium recorded about 600 diversions. Of those, 496 flights were redirected to their departure airports, while 104 were sent to other airports.
Some international flights began departing coastal airports before 6pm Eastern Time, ahead of the nationwide ground stop being lifted.
The FAA had previously indicated that departures could resume as en-route air traffic control facilities recovered, through coordination with its Air Traffic Control System Command Center.
