DUBUQUE, Iowa — November 13, 2026 — The Federal Aviation Administration halted all departing flights at every airport in the United States on Friday afternoon, after a telecommunications outage struck the air traffic control centers that guide planes between airports.

The FAA issued the nationwide ground stop at 3:54 p.m. Eastern time (2:54 p.m. Central). Its advisory, issued by the FAA’s Air Traffic Control System Command Center, read: “Due to extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety. Attention all aircraft operators, by order of the Federal Aviation Command Center, all airports are ground stopped. All departing traffic should remain ground stopped until further notice. Inbound international flights will be handled on a case-by-case basis.”

In its statement, the FAA said: “The FAA issued a nationwide ground stop for all U.S. airports following communication issues impacting multiple Air Route Traffic Control Centers. FAA technicians are investigating the issue. We will provide updates.” The agency noted the information is preliminary and subject to change.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed the stoppage shortly after it was issued: “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.”

Just after 5 p.m. Eastern, the FAA added: “There has been a temporary telecommunications outage — out of an abundance of caution all flights have been halted. Every flight has been accounted for and international flights will be handled on a case by case basis.”

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, speaking to reporters outside the White House, said a “telecommunication outage throughout FAA” prompted the stoppage, and said there is no indication it was a deliberate attack.

“There is no prior indication as of yet that this was a nefarious attack against us,” Mullin said. “It’s just a telecommunication outage as of right now.”

Mullin moved to separate the disruption from the September 11, 2001, attacks, when flights were also grounded nationwide.

“We’re wanting to assure all the American people, this isn’t a safety (threat) to the American people or another 9/11,” Mullin said. “Everybody’s safe. There is no reason to be concerned about your loved ones if they’re flying.”

Mullin said all flights are accounted for, and there will be a priority list to account for planes as they start coming into airports. He said the top priority is to restore communications and get back to normal operations, and that officials will continue working to find the root cause.

Planes already in the air were not ordered to land and were allowed to continue to their destinations. The advisory lists an effective period running through 11:30 p.m. Eastern (10:30 p.m. Central), but that is not a guarantee flights will resume by then, and the FAA has given no estimate for when normal operations will return. The FAA’s next update was expected at 10 p.m. Central.

The disruption is already among the largest in years. More than 3,300 U.S. flights had been canceled and more than 10,200 delayed as of 6:40 p.m. Eastern, according to FlightAware, with the numbers still climbing.

Friday’s halt is only the third nationwide ground stop in U.S. history, and the second since the September 11, 2001, attacks. The last one came on January 11, 2023, when the FAA’s pilot notification system failed.

For Dubuque travelers, the immediate impact is through other airports. Dubuque Regional Airport currently has no commercial air service, after Denver Air Connection ended service on January 15, 2026, and no replacement carrier has started. But residents flying out of Chicago O’Hare, Cedar Rapids, or other regional airports are affected. Travelers are advised to check with their airline before heading to the airport.