FAA nationwide flight grounding brings departures to a halt at MSP airport

Flights out of Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and all other airports across the United States were ordered grounded Friday afternoon by the Federal Aviation Administration.

The Details

“Due to extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety, attention all aircraft operators,” the FAA advisory, issued shortly before 3 p.m. CST, began, “all departing traffic should remain on the ground until further notice. Inbound international flights will be managed on a case by case basis.”

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said there is a communications issue affecting the 22 regional air traffic control centers that direct planes en route between airports nationwide. He said FAA technicians are investigating. This is the first nationwide ground stop since January 2023 when a key FAA computer system malfunctioned.

The most high-profile flight grounding came following the 9/11 terror attacks in 2001. Flights resumed two days later.

Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin said there was no indication yet that “this was a nefarious attack against us. It’s just a telecommunications outage. ... ’Everybody’s safe. There’s no reason to be concerned about your loved ones if they’re flying.’

There is no timeline for restarting flights. Mullin said investigators will look at whether there is any link to the FAA’s nationwide rollout of a new artificial intelligence system to help identify problems and reroute planes. But that system operates out of one location near Washington, D.C., and just sends recommendations to the air traffic control centers.

The government has been working to overhaul the outdated technology that air traffic controllers rely on since Congress approved $12.5 billion for the project last year.

Expanded image view

Several departures listed as “delayed” at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport in St. Paul, Minn. on Friday, Nov. 13, 2026. The Federal Aviation Administration grounded all flights nationwide Friday afternoon because of communications problems at regional air traffic control centers.

Alex Kormann/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

“Flights in the air should be able to land,” said Jeff Lea, spokesman for the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC), which operates MSP. “We are keeping planes on the ground so more don’t get in the air.”