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Photos Show Trouble at Airports As FAA Issues Nationwide Ground Stop

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‘All flights have been halted’


Passengers wait at McGhee Tyson Airport after the FAA issued a ground stop for all flights across the U.S. on Nov. 13.



Passengers wait at McGhee Tyson Airport after the FAA issued a ground stop for all flights across the US on November 13.

Adam Sparks/News Sentinel/Reuters

Boarding areas began to fill up at airports across the country.

On Friday afternoon, the FAA said in a post on X that there has been a temporary telecommunications outage.

“Out of an abundance of caution, all flights have been halted,” said the FAA. “Every flight has been accounted for and international flights will be handled on a case by case basis.”

The exact cause remains unclear




A person stands in front of a departures board at Logan International Airport.

Brian Snyder/Reuters

Flight boards are flashing red and orange across all major airports. Transportation officials have not yet said why they issued the ground stop.

The FAA is prepared to make a system update




Passengers wait inside the main terminal at Dulles International Airport.

Daniel Heuer/Reuters

In some airports, stranded passengers are congregating in terminals as security check lines grow longer.

The outage occurred the same day the FAA rolled out SMART, a new AI-powered tool designed to help manage air traffic.

Air Space Intelligence, the company behind SMART, said Friday’s disruption was not “based on or a result of the SMART system, any product of ASI or our integration with FAA and ATC.”

Lines are growing in many airports




Lines are forming at the Salt Lake City airport after passengers were told to disembark a flight to Kansas City.

Jon Lett

Jon Lett, a passenger who was traveling from the Salt Lake City Airport to Kansas City, told Business Insider that everyone on his flight has been told to disembark and wait.

Lett said that, though the mood among passengers remains “chill,” there is no telling whether his flight will be able to depart anytime soon.

Planes are parked on the tarmac




Planes wait on the tarmac at Chicago O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, on November 13, 2026.

KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI / AFP via Getty Images

Photos show planes parked back-to-back at Chicago O’Hare International Airport.

National ground stops are historically rare for the FAA.

In January 2023, the FAA halted flights because of an outage involving its pilot alert system. Before that, nationwide air traffic was halted following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Traffic outside the airports also began to pile up




Traffic piles up outside a terminal at Dulles International in Virginia after the FAA issued a national ground stop “due to extraordinary circumstances and reasons for safety” on Friday.

Daniel Heuer/Reuters

Luggage is slow to appear




People line up to try to retrieve luggage during delays and cancellations at LaGuardia Airport.

Adam Gray/Getty Images

Lines to collect luggage are also growing in some airports. It is unclear whether they are arriving passengers or travelers giving up on their flight for the day.

Travelers are left sitting in the plane




Passengers wait on board a plane at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Washington, DC.

Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP via Getty Images

Not everyone has been ordered to disembark. Photos showed some passengers sitting in unmoving planes.

The FAA has not issued any updates




An exhausted air traveler lay down on the floor after his flight was canceled.

David Carson/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via Getty Images

As of 8 p.m., the FAA has not issued any new updates on when the ground stop will end.

Some exhausted passengers with canceled flights are lying down on the floor to rest.

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