A nationwide flight grounding lasted about four hours on Friday, November 13, after officials cited problems with the aging air traffic control system. (Foto: Instagram)
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy blamed the United States’ aging air traffic control system for a nationwide grounding on Friday, November 13, 2026. He said the disruption involved inconsistencies between radar systems and airport control towers. Duffy and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin used the incident to urge Congress to provide more funding for a system overhaul.
At a White House news conference, Duffy said President Donald Trump had spent the past year asking Congress to fully fund construction of a new air traffic control system. Duffy said the United States still relies on analog telecommunications equipment, and that switches and routers became overwhelmed by data. The resulting data inconsistencies prompted officials to shut down the system, he said.
The Federal Aviation Administration activated a traffic management tool called Smart earlier in the week. It was not clear whether the new tool caused the overload. Mullin said the agency’s efforts to install new equipment and technology while using temporary fixes may have added pressure to the old system. He argued that piecemeal measures were not working and that the country needed a complete replacement.
The White House and the Department of Transportation asked Congress on Friday to approve an additional $30.1 billion for the air traffic control system. Congress had already approved $12.5 billion in 2025 for investments in the system over five years.
The grounding lasted about four hours and was lifted at around 10 p.m. Friday. Flight-tracking site Flight Radar reported that more than 8,000 flights were canceled in the United States alone.
