What to expect at BNA this weekend after the FAA ground stop

Updated 7:36 p.m. CT, Fri., Nov. 13, 2026

By Citizen Staff

Nashville International recorded hundreds of delayed flights Friday, and an Axios aviation expert said the disruption could spill into the weekend.

UPDATE, 7:36 p.m. CT: The FAA canceled the nationwide ground stop in an advisory signed at 7:19 p.m. CT. Delays and cancellations from the earlier halt may carry into the weekend, so travelers should still check their airline before heading to the airport.

Travelers flying through Nashville International Airport this weekend should check their flight status with their airline before heading to the terminal, airport officials said Friday, after the Federal Aviation Administration ordered a nationwide halt to departing flights.

The ground stop took effect at 2:54 p.m. Central, according to USA Today. Citing the FAA advisory, USA Today reported that the order is listed as effective through 10:30 p.m. Central but that departing flights were to remain grounded until further notice. The stop had not been lifted as of 4:33 p.m. Central, and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said it will be "some time" before operations resume once planes already in the air are on the ground, NBC Los Angeles reported.

FlightAware, a flight-tracking service, listed 295 delayed flights and nine cancellations at Nashville International as of 4:18 p.m. Central. The Tennessean earlier reported 295 delays and seven cancellations at the airport as of 4 p.m. The FAA's airport status page continued to list Nashville International as "On Time" as of 4:17 p.m. Central. That discrepancy could not immediately be resolved.

Nashville International, in a post on its official Facebook page, advised passengers to check their flight status before arriving, FOX 17 and The Tennessean reported. The Tennessean also reported that hundreds of passengers were waiting in the terminal Friday afternoon.

The FAA said the stop followed "communication issues impacting multiple Air Route Traffic Control Centers" and that "FAA technicians are investigating the issue," according to a statement reported by Axios and CNBC. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the issue was affecting all of those centers, the BBC and The Washington Post reported. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin told reporters at the White House there was no indication of a "nefarious attack," Axios reported, and described the problem as a telecommunications outage, according to the BBC. Mullin said officials had "not discussed any time frame" and that "it's going to take some time," the BBC reported.

Even after departures resume, delays and cancellations can continue. Axios aviation expert and pilot Alex Fitzpatrick wrote Friday that it was "likely going to be a messy night — and the effects could easily spill over into the weekend." CNBC reported that disruptions tend to snowball if ground stops drag on as flight crews reach their maximum number of duty hours for a day. At San Francisco International Airport, some pilots told controllers they were concerned their crews would "time-out" before departures could resume, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

As of 4:18 p.m. Central, none of the major airlines serving Nashville had posted a travel waiver for the ground stop on their official advisory pages, the Citizen found. United said in a statement reported by CNBC that it "will work with our customers to get them to their destinations once this issue is resolved." Travelers whose flights are canceled should check their airline's app for rebooking and refund options.

FlightAware listed 9,086 delays and 623 cancellations within, into or out of the United States as of 4:18 p.m. Central. Flights already in the air were not being ordered to land immediately, and inbound international flights were being handled case by case, according to USA Today and CNBC, citing the FAA advisory.

Travelers scheduled to fly Friday night or this weekend should confirm their itinerary in their airline's app or website before leaving for the airport. The FAA has not said when normal operations will return, USA Today reported.

This is a developing story and will be updated.