The Federal Aviation Administration halted departures nationwide Friday, Nov. 13, after a telecommunications disruption affected its air traffic control network.
The ground stop began at 2:54 p.m. CT. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said a communications issue affected Air Route Traffic Control Centers and that FAA technicians were investigating.
The FAA’s advisory directed departing aircraft to remain on the ground. Planes already airborne were allowed to continue to their destinations, while inbound international flights were handled case by case.
The disruption affected Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and other Texas airports. The El Paso Times reported that Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental and William P. Hobby airports also confirmed they were holding departures.
According to The Associated Press, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin attributed the problem to a telecommunications outage and said there was no indication at that point of an attack.
A lifting time for the nationwide restriction had not been independently confirmed for this report.
The previous nationwide departure halt occurred Jan. 11, 2023, following a failure of the FAA’s Notice to Air Missions system. In congressional testimony, the agency said that ground stop began at approximately 7:15 a.m. ET and ended at 9:07 a.m.—about 112 minutes.
The FAA’s review of that incident found that contract personnel unintentionally deleted files while addressing synchronization between a primary database and its backup.
Travelers should check their airline’s website or app before leaving for the airport. Delays and cancellations can continue after a ground stop ends as airlines work through backed-up flights and reposition aircraft and crews.
DFW passengers can check the airport’s flight information page. The FAA also publishes operational updates through its National Airspace System Status page.
