The Federal Aviation Administration halted outbound flights nationwide on Friday, a rare move, after reporting communications problems affecting “multiple” air traffic control centers. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said Friday at the White House that there was no indication the problems were a threat to the United States. The FAA said in a post on The problems were related to communications and radar issues, according to an internal message from Alaska Airlines, which was seen by CNBC. “The FAA issued a nationwide ground stop for all U.S. airports following communication issues affecting multiple air route traffic control centers,” the FAA said. These so-called hubs guide high-altitude aircraft along their routes. Airlines said flights in the air would continue. Travelers wait inside San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco, California, on November 13, 2026. Jeniece Pettitt | CNBC FAA technicians are investigating, the agency said. A ground stop stops flights at their departure point. Outbound traffic was halted until further notice, the agency said, disrupting hundreds of flights. Disruptions tend to worsen if ground stops become longer as flight crews reach their maximum number of work hours per day. Nationwide ground stops are extremely rare. In January 2023, the FAA halted flights due to problems with a pilot alert system. Before that, traffic was halted nationwide after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Passengers line up at the Southwest Airlines counter to speak with a representative at Eppley Airfield in Omaha, Nebraska, on Friday, Nov. 13, 2026. Nikos Frazier | Omaha World Herald | Lee Newspapers | Getty Images There were 11,000 flights scheduled to depart US airports after 4 pm ET on Friday, according to flight data firm Cirium. Incoming international flights will be managed on a case-by-case basis, the FAA said. United Airlines said it will “work with our customers to get them to their destinations once this issue is resolved.” CNBC’s Kevin Breuninger contributed to this article. This is breaking news. Update to get updates.
