Ground stop lifted as hundreds of flights canceled at SEA; officials cite ‘major engineering defect’

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has lifted a nationwide ground stop, the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) confirmed around 5:30 p.m. Friday via X.

The FAA ground stop has just been lifted. Please continue to check with your airline directly for your flight’s latest status. We’re working closely with our airline and federal partners to help passengers and keep operations moving. Thank you for your patience. https://t.co/RNfsZwBE6D

— Seattle-Tacoma Intl. Airport (@flySEA) November 14, 2026

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin said there was a “major engineering defect,” according to The Associated Press.

He explained that introducing new technology into an old air traffic control system overwhelmed it.

Mullin confirmed the ground stop was not connected to a global Microsoft 365 outage.

Ground stop issued Friday afternoon

A ground stop was issued Friday afternoon for airports nationwide by the FAA.

The stop was issued “due to extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety,” NBC News reported.

The ground stop followed 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

According to The Associated Press, Mullin said there was no indication that “this was a nefarious attack against us. It’s just a telecommunications outage.”

The Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) reported 410 delays and 226 cancellations Friday, according to FlightAware. The numbers continue to change.

“We are aware of the ground stop affecting departing flights out of SEA and airports nationwide,” a spokesperson for the Port of Seattle said in a statement to KIRO Newsradio. “We encourage passengers to check with their airlines for their latest flight status. We’ll post any updates on our social media channels as we have them.”

Alaska, Hawaii and some international flights exempt from ground stop

Alaska Air Group said that while flights for Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines are impacted, flights within the state of Alaska and Neighbor Island flights in Hawai’i were exempt.

“Flights from the West Coast to Hawai’i can continue, and international flights from Honolulu have also been cleared for departure,” Alaska Air Group stated on its website. “Aircraft in the air are continuing to their destinations.”

Alaska Air Group noted that even though the ground stop was lifted, it will take time for its operations to get back on track.

Microsoft says no indication its outage is linked to ground stop

Questions emerged about whether the incident was a cyberattack.

“It may not be a cybersecurity incident, but it might be a resiliency and network-related incident enough for the cyber people to care,” Cristin Flynn Goodwyn, a globally recognized leader in cybersecurity, told KIRO Newsradio.

The ground stop came amid a global Microsoft 365 services outage. However, The New York Times reported that Microsoft stated there is no indication the ground stop is related to its outage.

“Question number one: Is there an incident like something Iran-related? Everybody’s been disclaiming that,” Goodwyn added. “Then, question number two becomes: Is it continuity-related? Is there something, because of the disruption and stability of Microsoft services, that is making the FAA think there’s something about the connections in the air traffic control system that is necessitating a ground stop?”

UW football team expects to resume Michigan State trip after ground stop lifted

The ground stop affected travel for several college football teams, including the University of Washington (UW), a spokesperson confirmed to KIRO Newsradio.

UW was getting ready to fly to Michigan when the ground stop occurred. The team left the airport with plans to return to campus while considering other transportation options.

After the FAA lifted the ground stop, UW said the team expected to resume travel to Michigan State Friday evening.

“No determination has been made regarding the kickoff time for Saturday’s game,” a spokesperson said in a statement. “We remain in communication with the Big Ten Conference and will provide updates as additional information becomes available.”

The Seattle Seahawks had also been monitoring the disruption ahead of their planned Saturday departure.

“We’ll play it by ear, and obviously we’ll adjust to how we need to adjust,” Seahawks Head Coach Mike Macdonald said. “So we have a plan for tomorrow, and we’re leaving tomorrow, which helps, obviously. So we’re trying to leave tomorrow.”

KIRO fill-in host Angela Poe Russell grounded on Cabo runway

KIRO fill-in host Angela Poe Russell was stuck in her plane on the runway in Cabo.

“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.

Ground stop comes as FAA upgrades aging air traffic control systems

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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