FAA lifts nationwide ground stop after more than four hours; Nashville flights shown on time
Updated: 2 hours ago
Updated 7:36 p.m. CT, Fri., Nov. 13, 2026
By Citizen Staff
National outlets cite an FAA advisory ordering U.S. departures held, but the agency's public pages showed no nationwide stop and listed BNA on time as of 3:18 p.m. Central.
UPDATE, 7:36 p.m. CT: The Federal Aviation Administration's Command Center canceled the nationwide ground stop in an advisory signed at 7:19 p.m. CT, stating that "the FAA Command Center nationwide ground stop has been cancelled." ABC's Good Morning America also reported that the FAA said the stop was over after more than four hours. Nashville International Airport remained listed as "On Time" on the FAA's airport status page. Travelers flying through Nashville tonight should still check their airline, as delays and cancellations from the earlier halt may continue.
UPDATE, 5:42 p.m. Central: The nationwide ground stop remains in effect, the FAA Command Center said in an advisory signed at 4:46 p.m. Central, but "as enroute facilities recover, flights will be allowed to depart through coordination with the Air Traffic Control System Command Center." A Command Center operations plan issued at the same time said traffic will be released from the nationwide stop "as conditions allow," with "a tiered approach for releasing more traffic as limitations are reduced and volume can be increased." The ground-stop advisory cites a "communications failure," keeps the restriction in effect through at least 10:30 p.m. Central, and says an update is expected at 10 p.m. Central. Nashville International Airport remained listed as "On Time" on the FAA's airport status page as of 5:39 p.m. Central.
UPDATE, 4:35 p.m. Central: The nationwide ground stop had not been lifted as of 4:33 p.m. Central. In a post on X at 4:02 p.m. Central, the FAA said, "There has been a temporary telecommunications outage - out of an abundance of caution all flights have been halted. Every flight has been accounted for and international flights will be handled on a case by case basis." Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said that once planes already in the air are on the ground, it will be "some time" before operations resume, NBC Los Angeles reported. Mullin also told reporters the flights were grounded "out of an abundance of caution" after a "telecommunication outage throughout FAA," according to USA Today. Nashville International Airport remained listed as "On Time" on the FAA's airport status page.
UPDATE, 4:14 p.m. Central: The nationwide ground stop had not been lifted as of 4:13 p.m. Central. The FAA advisory lists the stop as effective from 2:54 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Central, USA Today reported at 4:11 p.m. Central. That's 30 minutes later than the end time CBS News reported earlier, and departing flights were still to remain grounded until further notice. Nearly 7,000 U.S. flights had been delayed or canceled, according to FlightAware figures reported by Reuters. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin told reporters at the White House there was no indication of a "nefarious attack," Axios reported. The FAA's status page, updated at 4:12 p.m. Central, cited a "national stop" for departure delays at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson airport, but it still listed Nashville International Airport as "On Time." Travelers should confirm their flight status with their airline before heading to BNA.
UPDATE, 3:41 p.m. Central: The FAA confirmed the nationwide ground stop in a statement, saying it followed "communication issues impacting multiple Air Route Traffic Control Centers" and that "FAA technicians are investigating the issue," according to Axios and CNBC. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the issue was impacting "all" Air Route Traffic Control Centers, the BBC and The Washington Post reported. The stop had not been lifted as of 3:40 p.m. Central. The agency's National Airspace System status page, with an update time of 3:40 p.m. Central, still listed no nationwide ground-stop event, and the earlier equipment-outage ground stops at Chicago's O'Hare and Midway airports were no longer shown. The Command Center's public advisories page still displayed "No ADVISORY Available for today." The BBC reported that an alert had appeared on the FAA website and later been removed. Flight-tracking service Flightradar24 said 3,100 aircraft were bound for U.S. airports and that no additional planes were taking off, the BBC reported at 3:34 p.m. Central. Nashville International Airport remained listed as "On Time" on the FAA's airport status page.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered a halt to departures nationwide Friday afternoon, according to Axios, CNBC and CBS News, which cited an air traffic control advisory saying departing flights should "remain ground stopped until further notice."
The advisory cites "extraordinary circumstances" and "reasons of safety," according to those reports. CBS News reported the order took effect at 2:54 p.m. Central and is scheduled to run until 10 p.m. Central, though it could end sooner or be extended. Inbound international flights "will be managed on a case by case basis," the advisory states, according to CNBC.
The FAA has not said publicly what caused the stop, and it did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Axios and CNBC.
The FAA's public status pages did not reflect a nationwide stop as of 3:18 p.m. Central. The agency's National Airspace System page showed ground stops at Chicago's O'Hare and Midway airports, attributed to an "equipment outage" and set to end at 3:30 p.m. Central, along with delays at several other airports. The FAA's airport status page listed Nashville International Airport as "On Time." As of 3:19 p.m. Central, the FAA Command Center's public advisories page showed no advisory for the day. The discrepancy could not immediately be resolved.
Travelers flying out of Nashville tonight should check their flight status with their airline before heading to the airport.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Comments