# US outage grounds flights from Australian airports

> A telecommunications failure halted departures from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, stranding passengers for hours.
- Title: US outage grounds flights from Australian airports | Shortify
- Summary: A telecommunications failure halted departures from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, stranding passengers for hours.
- Keywords: sydney airport, melbourne airport, brisbane airport, us federal aviation administration, telecommunications outage, flight delays, qantas, the Guardian
- Source: the Guardian — https://theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/nov/14/us-bound-flights-out-of-australia-grounded-as-telecommunications-outage-affects-american-travel
- Published: 2026-11-14T04:56:06+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: sydney airport, melbourne airport, brisbane airport, us federal aviation administration, telecommunications outage, flight delays, qantas, news, world
## US ban halts Australian departures
The US Federal Aviation Administration issued a nationwide ground stop on Saturday, halting departures and delaying landings at all US airports in response to a temporary telecommunications outage.

> a temporary telecommunications outage
## Sydney and Melbourne flights grounded
US-bound flights from Sydney airport were grounded or delayed.Melbourne airport passengers heading to Los Angeles were delayed by almost three hours.Sydney airport confirmed the US ban on arrivals was lifted shortly before one pm.
## Passengers stuck on tarmac for hours
Passengers on US-bound flights from Sydney reported being stuck on the tarmac for three hours before departing. One plane required extra fuel after running air-conditioning for several hours while waiting.
## Brisbane flights delayed, then depart
Four flights from Brisbane were also delayed.A flight to Dallas scheduled for ten am departed around one pm, shortly after the US ban was lifted.By three pm Saturday, all delayed flights from Melbourne had departed.
## Key takeaway

A US telecommunications outage grounded flights from Australian airports on Saturday, delaying hundreds of passengers for up to three hours before the ban was lifted.