# FAA lifts ground stop after system failure grounds US flights

> A nationwide ground stop halted all US flights for hours on November 13 after old air traffic control equipment failed, stranding millions of passengers.
- Title: FAA lifts ground stop after system failure grounds US flights
- Summary: A nationwide ground stop halted all US flights for hours on November 13 after old air traffic control equipment failed, stranding millions of passengers.
- Keywords: faa, air traffic control, ground stop, november 13 2026, sean duffy, tdm telecom, markwayne mullin, Engadget
- Source: Engadget — https://engadget.com/2316792/faa-flights-resume-ground-stop-old-equipment
- Author: Mariella Moon
- Published: 2026-11-14T06:35:40+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: faa, air traffic control, ground stop, november 13 2026, sean duffy, tdm telecom, markwayne mullin, technology
## Nationwide ground stop halts all US flights
The Federal Aviation Administration lifted a nationwide ground stop on November 13 that brought all flights to a halt for hours, starting in the afternoon.Hundreds of flights were canceled and thousands already flying were diverted.
## Old telecom equipment overloaded with data
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy blamed the USA's incredibly old air traffic control system.The US uses TDM telecom, legacy analog technology, to transmit information between facilities.

> It's going to continue to fail. How many times does this have to happen for Congress to give the money to fix it?
## Duffy seeks thirty billion dollars for upgrades
Duffy said Congress's unwillingness to fund upgrades caused the failure.The FAA has only issued ground stops thrice this century, and this was the second longest after the nine eleven attacks.
## Key takeaway

The FAA grounded all US flights for hours on November 13 after legacy telecommunications equipment overloaded, canceling hundreds of flights and stranding millions of passengers.