FAA grounds all flights at US airports, citing…

23:44 4m ago In numbers

No take-offs from O'Hare for more than two hours, Flightradar24 data shows

No flights have left Chicago O'Hare in more than two hours, according to Flightradar24 data reported by CNN.

CNN reports that the last recorded take-offs at JFK and Reagan National were at 3.35pm ET. Several other major airports had seen no departures since before 4pm ET, according to a Flightradar24 post at 5.25pm ET cited by CNN.

This adds a take-off record to the earlier count from the flight tracking app Flighty, reported by TheStreet, of at least 114 aircraft on the ground at O'Hare.

The figures come from a flight tracking service and not from the FAA. They have not been independently checked.

23:41 6m ago Quote

Newark controllers describe 'a whole mess' as airports run short of space for planes

I'm as much in the dark as everyone else. I'm not getting any information from anybody.

Control tower personnel at Newark Liberty are heard describing the situation as "a whole mess right now", according to LiveATC audio reported by NBC News.

NBC reports that tower personnel spoke of "significant gate issues" and said "We're running out of space". One Newark controller is quoted as saying:

NBC also reports that some airports are beginning to run out of space for planes during the nationwide ground stop.

Separately, TheStreet, citing the flight tracking app Flighty, reports at least 114 aircraft on the ground at Chicago O'Hare.

The Newark remarks come from an air traffic radio feed, not from an official statement. Neither the audio nor the Flighty figure has been independently checked.

23:41 6m ago

Officials from multiple agencies tell NBC there is no sign of a cyber attack

Officials from more than one agency involved in the inquiry have now told NBC News there is no indication the FAA communications outage was caused by malicious activity. That widens the sourcing on a line first reported by CNN, which cited two law enforcement officials.

NBC News reports that the officials said they had not seen evidence of the type of activity normally linked to a cyber attack.

Three senior officials also told NBC News that nothing connects the FAA incident to Microsoft's widespread outage.

The officials cautioned that it is early in the investigation and that findings can change as it goes on.

None of the officials is named, and the report has not been independently checked.

23:31 16m ago In numbers

Flightradar24 puts US cancellations above 1,000, below FlightAware's 1,913

A second flight tracker has put a number on the disruption. Flightradar24 said more than 1,000 flights had been cancelled across the US because of the ground halt, according to the Globe and Mail, which gives the figure as of just before 6pm ET on Friday 13 November.

That is lower than the 1,913 cancellations ABC7 San Francisco reported from FlightAware at 6.04pm ET. The two counts come from different trackers and may not be comparable.

Flightradar24's figure is described as cancellations caused by the ground halt. ABC7 did not say whether the FlightAware count covers the whole of Friday or only flights affected by the FAA's order, and earlier FlightAware figures were whole-day totals.

Neither count has been independently checked.

The Globe and Mail also reports that Canadian airports say outbound flights to the US are delayed by the grounding, as are international flights that would normally cross US airspace.

23:21 26m ago In numbers

FlightAware count jumps to 1,913 US cancellations and 10,494 delays, ABC7 reports

The number of US flights cancelled on Friday 13 November has risen to 1,913, with a further 10,494 delayed, according to FlightAware figures reported by ABC7 San Francisco as of 6.04pm ET (11.04pm UK).

That is a steep increase on the at least 400 cancellations and 8,000 delays CBS News reported from FlightAware at 5.01pm ET. On those figures, cancellations have more than quadrupled in about an hour.

The new count has not been independently checked. ABC7 does not say whether it covers the whole of Friday or only flights affected by the nationwide ground stop. The earlier FlightAware figures were whole-day totals, which include disruption recorded before the FAA's order.

ABC7 also reports that every flight at Raleigh-Durham (RDU) was delayed or cancelled on Friday evening, and says it expects the national numbers to rise overnight.

23:21 26m ago Quote

SMART vendor Air Space Intelligence denies its system caused the ground stop

The current ground stop is not based on or a result of the SMART system, any product of ASI or our integration with FAA and ATC

Air Space Intelligence, the AI start-up that supplies the FAA's SMART air traffic control system, says the nationwide ground stop was not caused by its software, NBC News reports.

In a statement posted on X and reported by NBC News on the evening of 13 November, the company said:

The denial follows remarks by Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, who said earlier on Friday that officials were examining whether the new AI-supported air traffic control system contributed to the communications failure. Mullin did not name SMART and did not say the system was the cause.

This is the company's own account, not an official finding, and it has not been independently checked. Neither the FAA nor DHS has given a cause for the ground stop.

NBC News says the stop follows the FAA's recent changes adding AI to air traffic control, and that it is not clear whether the two are related.

23:21 26m ago Breaking

FAA to release flights as facilities recover and clear with command centre, CNN reports

The FAA says flights will be allowed to depart as its facilities recover and coordinate with its command centre in Virginia, according to CNN, which cites an FAA update issued roughly two hours into the nationwide ground stop.

It is the first indication of how the stop will be lifted. Until now the advisory had said only that departing traffic was to remain ground stopped until further notice.

The same update confirmed that planes were still barred from taking off, CNN reports.

Flight tracking data cited by CNN is consistent with that. Flightradar24 said in a post at 5.25pm ET (10.25pm UK time) that no flights had left Chicago O'Hare in over two hours. It put the last recorded takeoffs at JFK and Ronald Reagan Washington National at 3.35pm ET (8.35pm UK time).

That is 19 minutes before the 3.54pm ET start of the advisory's effective period, as reported earlier by Yahoo News.

CNN aviation correspondent Pete Muntean told Jake Tapper there was "no real end in sight" for delays and cancellations, which he said could continue for some time.

23:11 36m ago Quote

American Airlines expects disruption for rest of the day as Southwest works with FAA

It will be all hands-on deck across American to get customers on their way as soon as possible when the FAA lifts this ground stop

American Airlines says its flights are expected to face disruption for the rest of the day, depending on how long the FAA's nationwide ground stop lasts. Southwest Airlines has told employees it is working with the FAA on a resolution.

Both statements were reported by CNN. They follow United's statement, covered earlier on this blog.

American said flights already in the air can continue to their destinations. That matches United's position and the terms of the ground stop reported earlier, which halts departures rather than ordering airborne aircraft to land.

The airline said:

Southwest's message to employees, as reported by CNN, said:

"We are aware of the current nationwide ground stop and are actively working with the FAA for resolution"

CNN aviation correspondent Pete Muntean said cancellations and delays are increasing. "This is not going to be a short-haul story. This is going to last at least likely until tonight," he said on air. That is his forecast and has not been independently checked.

23:11 36m ago

Mullin says two areas of US are not affected by FAA communications outage

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin says two areas of the US are not currently affected by the communications outage behind the nationwide ground stop, CBS Chicago reports. He would not say which.

Mullin, speaking to reporters on Friday evening, described the problem as a telecommunications outage affecting the ability of air traffic control and planes to communicate, according to CBS Chicago.

His account sits closer to the FAA's wording than to that of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. Duffy said the issue was affecting "all" Air Route Traffic Control Centers, while the FAA referred to "multiple" centres.

Mullin's claim has not been independently checked. The FAA has not said which parts of the country are affected.

CBS Chicago also reports Duffy as saying the ground stop was issued "out of an abundance of caution".

No cause has been given. Aviation Hub reports that Mullin is refusing to rule out any cause.

23:01 46m ago

CNN source says radars and radio frequencies failed at the same time

An aviation source familiar with what controllers are dealing with has told CNN that the outages behind the US ground stop involve air traffic control radars and radio frequencies going out at the same time, and that controllers have no clarity on the cause.

This is a second, independent account that radar is affected as well as radio communications. The first came earlier on Friday from an internal Alaska Airlines message seen by CNBC.

Separately, MPR News reports that the FAA has reported frequency and radar outages between several air traffic control centres. That attribution to the FAA is MPR's alone. The FAA's spokesperson has so far said only that there is a communications problem affecting Air Route Traffic Control Centers, and no FAA statement we have seen mentions radar.

The CNN source's account is unofficial and has not been independently checked. Neither the FAA nor Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has confirmed radar failures, and neither has said what caused the outages or whether a cyber attack is suspected.

23:01 46m ago Breaking

Flightradar24 reports first international departures leaving US airports case by case

International flights are now being allowed to depart US airports on a case-by-case basis, according to Flightradar24. In a live blog entry stamped 22:00 UTC on 13 November, which is 10pm UK time, the flight tracking service says Etihad's Boston to Abu Dhabi flight is en route.

The FAA has not confirmed this. If accurate, it is the first sign of any easing of the departure halt.

It would also mark a change from the FAA's own advisory, posted at about 8.54pm UK time. That advisory said all departing traffic was to remain ground stopped until further notice, while only inbound international flights would be managed on a case by case basis. Flightradar24's report concerns outbound flights, which the advisory did not exempt.

Flightradar24 names one flight as airborne. It gives no figure for how many other international departures have been released, and there is no official statement from the FAA on outbound traffic beyond the original advisory.

23:01 46m ago In numbers

Flightradar24 now puts US-bound flights airborne at start of ground stop at 4,042

Flightradar24 says 4,042 flights were airborne and bound for US airports when the FAA's nationwide ground stop was issued at 20:54 UTC, which is 3.54pm ET and 8.54pm UK time. The figure appears on the Flightradar24 live blog.

That is higher than the roughly 3,100 aircraft reported earlier. That number also came from Flightradar24, shared on X by Reuters correspondent David Shepardson, and CBS News, citing the same tracking service, still gives about 3,100 airborne aircraft heading for US airports when the stop began.

The two counts are both attributed to Flightradar24 but differ by more than 900 aircraft, and neither outlet explains the gap. We have not been able to reconcile them, so for now they stand as conflicting figures.

The ground stop itself remains in place. The FAA advisory cites only "extraordinary circumstances" and safety, and says all departing traffic should remain grounded until further notice.

22:52 55m ago Quote

Mullin says DHS examining whether new AI air traffic system contributed to ground stop

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin says officials are examining whether the new AI-supported air traffic control system contributed to the communications failure behind Friday's nationwide ground stop, CNN reports.

Asked about the system by CNN's Kristen Holmes at the White House on Friday 13 November, Mullin said: "We're looking at that." He added: "We're taking a look. We're working with our counterparts throughout all agencies."

Mullin has not said the system was the cause. His remarks describe an investigation, not a finding.

This is the first time an official has publicly connected the AI-supported system to the inquiry into the ground stop. As we reported earlier, the FAA expanded SMART, an AI-supported air traffic planning tool, to all 22 air route traffic control centres on 10 November, three days before the ground stop. Neither the FAA nor Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy had linked it to the outage.

Mullin did not name SMART in the remarks reported by CNN. Whether the system played any part in Friday's failure has not been established.

22:52 55m ago

Alaska Airlines internal message says radar problems involved in US ground stop

An internal Alaska Airlines message says the problems behind the nationwide US ground stop involve radar as well as communications, according to CNBC, which has seen the message. It is the first report that radar is affected, not only communications.

Separately, two law enforcement sources told CBS News that the TSA is still investigating the root cause. One of those sources said the issue concerns radio frequencies and how pilots communicate with one another.

That CBS account is the first sourced word that the TSA is looking into the cause. It also lines up with earlier reports from the Washington Examiner, The Air Current and airline crew messages pointing to radio frequency outages.

The FAA has not confirmed either the radar problems or the radio frequency explanation. Its spokesperson has so far said only that there is a communications problem affecting Air Route Traffic Control Centers, which matches Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy's statement on Friday.

The Alaska Airlines message and the CBS sources are unofficial and have not been independently checked. Neither Duffy nor the FAA has said whether a cyber attack is suspected.

22:52 55m ago

Ground stop holds NTSB investigators from New Orleans ship collision, congressman says

The nationwide ground stop is preventing National Transportation Safety Board investigators from flying to New Orleans to examine a collision between a tanker and a docked cruise ship, according to Representative Troy Carter, the Democratic congressman for Louisiana's 2nd District.

Carter told WDSU that the investigators would normally fly in on an FAA charter plane from Washington, but are being held by the stop.

"I know they are desperately trying to get here," he said. "Unfortunately, all air traffic has been grounded and no further information is available at this time."

The collision, between the Atlantic Asphalt tanker and American Cruise Lines' American Heritage, happened at 12.30pm local time on Friday while the cruise ship was docked on the Mississippi River in New Orleans, WDSU reports.

Carter's account of the NTSB's travel arrangements has not been independently checked. Neither the NTSB nor the FAA has commented on it in the reporting so far.

22:41 1h ago Quote

Congressman Robert Garcia calls FAA ground stop 'quite disturbing' and warns of 'chaos'

Congressman Robert Garcia has called the nationwide FAA ground stop "quite disturbing" and warned it will cause "chaos" for travellers for some time to come.

Speaking on MS NOW with Nicolle Wallace on Friday 13 November, Rep. Garcia urged the Trump administration to explain the failure and what it means for people trying to fly, according to Mediaite and the Advocate.

The Advocate reports that Trump officials have so far offered "few details" on the ground stop.

His remarks are the first on-record reaction from a member of Congress to the stop. He did not give a cause for the failure, and no official explanation has been reported.

22:32 1h ago

Toronto Pearson says no US-bound flights scheduled as FAA ground stop bites

Toronto Pearson Airport says the FAA ground stop is affecting flights between Toronto and the United States, and that no US-bound departures or arrivals are currently scheduled.

In a statement reported by Yahoo News Canada, the airport said on Friday: "There are currently no scheduled U.S.-bound departures or arrivals at this time."

Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport is advising passengers to contact their airlines.

NAV Canada, which runs air navigation in Canadian airspace, said it is closely monitoring the ground stop. In a post on X it said: "We continue to support the safe movement of air traffic in our airspace, including any aircraft that may be diverted."

This is the first on-record confirmation of the ground stop's effect on cross-border traffic, and of a neighbouring air navigation service handling aircraft diverted away from US airports. Neither statement gives a figure for the number of flights affected or an estimate of when US-bound services might resume.

22:32 1h ago In numbers

FlightAware count rises to at least 8,000 US delays and 400 cancellations on Friday

The number of US flights disrupted on Friday 13 November has risen to at least 8,000 delays and 400 cancellations, according to FlightAware figures reported by CBS News at 5.01pm ET (10.01pm UK).

That is up from the more than 7,800 delayed or cancelled flights Fox Weather reported as of 4.45pm ET, and the direction of travel is consistent across the two reports.

Clash Report, also citing FlightAware, gives slightly lower totals of 7,884 delayed US flights and 380 cancellations. The two outlets' counts differ, and neither has been independently checked.

As with the earlier figures, these are whole-day totals for Friday rather than a count of flights affected by the nationwide ground stop alone. Delays and cancellations recorded earlier in the day, before the FAA's order, are included.

Worldwide, FlightAware counted 21,504 delays and 920 cancellations on Friday afternoon, according to mlq.ai.

22:22 1h ago Quote

Mullin says FAA ground stop is not connected to Thursday's Microsoft outage

I don't see any reason to connect those two at all. Those are separate issues.

Markwayne Mullin says the communications problem behind the FAA ground stop is not linked to Thursday's global Microsoft outage.

Speaking to reporters at the White House on Friday afternoon, Mullin said the two were separate matters, CNN reports.

The Microsoft outage took place on Thursday 12 November, the day before the FAA grounded flights at US airports citing "extraordinary circumstances".

Mullin's statement rules out one obvious line of speculation, but it has not been independently checked. No detail has yet been given on the cause of the FAA communications problem itself.

22:22 1h ago Quote

Mullin says no timeframe for ending FAA outage and it will not be fixed 'within the hour'

We have not discussed any timeframe.

The Homeland Security Secretary, Markwayne Mullin, says officials have not discussed any timeframe for resolving the FAA communications outage behind the nationwide ground stop, and that it will not be fixed within the hour.

CNN reports that Mullin told reporters at the White House on Friday evening:

"It's going to take some time. And so this isn't going to just be resolved and turned around within the hour."

Mullin said the administration was focused on passenger safety, according to CNN.

His remarks are the clearest official sign yet that the stop may run past the estimated end time on the FAA advisory, which gives 11pm ET (4am UK time on Saturday) as an estimate rather than a point at which the order lapses. NBC News reports that the advisory still says all departing traffic is to remain ground stopped until further notice.

The FAA's own order, as reported earlier, says only that all airports are ground stopped "due to extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety". Mullin's reference to a communications outage, as reported by CNN, is the first official description of what lies behind it.