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FAA ground stop live updates: Duffy blames 'overloaded' routers; thousands of flights canceled

The DHS secretary said there were no indications of a cyberattack.

ByIvan Pereira, Ayesha Ali, Clara McMichael, Sam Sweeney, and Meredith Deliso
Last Updated: November 13, 2026, 9:57 PM EST

The Federal Aviation Administration ordered a rare nationwide ground stop for all airports Friday -- a more than four-hour disruption that snarled travel from coast to coast with canceled flights and stranded passengers.

At a White House news conference Friday night, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy blamed old technology that became overloaded and called on Congress to provide billions more in funding to modernize critical equipment, calling the situation an "emergency."

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin told reporters there was no indication the incident stemmed from a cyberattack, but that officials were still investigating.

Thousands of flights were canceled amid the ground stop.

"I believe that it's going to take us some time to get back to capacity," Duffy said when asked how long air travelers should expect delays and cancellations to continue.

Key Headlines

Here's how the news is developing.
Nov 13, 2026, 8:13 PM EST

United, JetBlue to cancel most of the night's remaining flights

Amid the ground stop, United Airlines said it plans to cancel the majority of its remaining flights for the night, with exceptions for some international flights.

JetBlue said it is also canceling all remaining flights on Friday, save for Europe-bound flights departing from JFK and Boston.

"Flights already in the air are continuing to their destinations," JetBlue said in a statement. "We expect disruptions to continue into tomorrow, including additional cancellations."

Air Canada said it has canceled all remaining flights Friday between Canada and the U.S. due to the ground stop.

Nov 13, 2026, 8:03 PM EST

Nearly 5,000 flights canceled nationwide

Nearly 5,000 flights have been canceled nationwide Friday, according to FlightAware.

There are nearly 800 cancellations for Saturday.

Nov 13, 2026, 7:52 PM EST

Big 12 Conference 'evaluating' potential changes to Saturday games

The Big 12 Conference said Friday it is "evaluating any potential changes to Saturday's football schedule" due to the national ground stop.

"The Conference will continue to monitor the travel disruptions alongside its member institutions and provide updates for Saturday's games," the college athletic conference said in a statement.

Nov 13, 2026, 7:14 PM EST

Where flights are taking off amid ground stop

A small number of flights are taking off over the ocean and in Alaska and Hawaii.

Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines said in a statement that flights within Hawaii and from the West Coast to Hawaii can continue. International flights from Hawaii are also cleared. 

Hawaii's Department of Transportation said that flights between Anchorage to Oakland and Hawaii can fly.

PHOTO: FAA issues national ground stop due to "extraordinary circumstance and reasons for safety'
An airplane is parked on the tarmac after the US Federal Aviation Administration issued a national ground stop "due to extraordinary circumstances and reasons for safety" following the agency's earlier report of serious air traffic control communications issues, at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, in SeaTac, Washington, Nov. 13, 2026.
David Ryder/Reuters

San Francisco International Airport said that Pacific-bound flights are cleared to depart from the airport, including to destinations in Alaska and Hawaii.

Ontario Airport in California said that flights heading west over the ocean are allowed to take off from the airport at this time. 

Boston Logan said in a post that the FAA is permitting some transatlantic flights to depart.

-ABC News' Bonnie McClean

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