Equipment problems disrupted flights at major U.S. airports Friday afternoon as a report of a nationwide ground stop raised fresh concerns about the country’s air traffic control system.
The Federal Aviation Administration’s flight status dashboard confirmed ground stops at Chicago’s O’Hare and Midway airports, citing equipment outages. Both were scheduled to remain in effect until 4:30 p.m. Eastern.
Departure delays tied to FAA equipment problems were also posted at airports stretching from Newark to Las Vegas and Phoenix.
Independent journalist Nick Sortor reported at 3:52 p.m. Eastern that the FAA had issued a nationwide ground stop, preventing aircraft from taking off. He said communication issues were reportedly responsible, while noting that the agency had not confirmed the exact cause.
🚨 BREAKING: The FAA has issued a NATIONWIDE GROUND STOP, effectively preventing any aircraft from taking off
This is reportedly due to communication issues, but the exact cause has not yet been confirmed by the FAA https://t.co/MVsjQ5h6NR
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) November 13, 2026
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At O’Hare, departure delays were averaging 45 minutes and increasing, according to the agency. Nearby Midway was also under a ground stop because of an equipment outage.
New Jersey’s Teterboro Airport reported departure delays averaging an hour and increasing. Newark, Las Vegas and Phoenix each listed average departure delays of 15 minutes that were growing.
Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport and Orlando International Airport also reported departure delays associated with equipment-related traffic restrictions. Orlando’s delays averaged 30 minutes, while Houston’s averaged 15 minutes.
The disruptions came as several other major airports were already operating under separate restrictions. San Francisco had a ground delay program attributed to wind, while Boston and San Diego listed delays caused by airport volume.
Sortor’s post shared a separate aviation account’s report from Seattle controllers. That account, ATC, posted the material several minutes before Sortor’s nationwide ground stop report.
The cause, full extent, and expected duration of the equipment problems remained unclear Friday afternoon.
