Ground stop issued for all airports nationwide; SEA reports 227 delays today
Nov 13, 2026, 1:24 PM | Updated: 2:01 pm
A plane is viewed on the tarmac at LaGuardia Airport. (Photo: Spencer Platt, Getty Images)
(Photo: Spencer Platt, Getty Images)
A ground stop has been issued for all airports nationwide by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), according to NBC News.
The stop was issued “due to extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety,” NBC News reported.
The ground stop was issued following a communication issue impacting all Air Route Traffic Control Centers, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy stated on X.
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 Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) has reported 227 delays and three cancellations Friday, according to FlightAware.
KIRO fill-in host Angela Poe Russell was in a plane on the runway in Cabo when the ground stop was issued.
“We were getting ready to take off, like literally on the runway, about to take off,” she told KIRO Newsradio. “And we got word from the pilot that the FAA has basically said they can’t take off.”
Poe Russell said anyone who was already in the air was trying to get a hold of whoever they could.
“I’m personally feeling grateful that we’re not in the air, because that’s a scary prospect,” she added.
The Associated Press noted this is the first nationwide ground stop since 2023, when an FAA computer system malfunctioned. Before that was Sept. 11, 2001.
Federal officials are upgrading the aging systems used by air traffic controllers with $12.5 billion approved by Congress last year. The work includes replacing copper wiring with fiber-optic lines and updating airport radio equipment.
Duffy said completing the overhaul will require another $30 billion. The White House is pressing Congress to approve that additional funding.
Contributing: Julia Dallas, MyNorthwest; The Associated Press
This is a developing story, check back for updates.
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