The Federal Aviation Administration reopened U.S. airspace at 8:15 p.m. ET on November 13 after a communications failure disrupted air traffic control centers, ending a nationwide ground stop that lasted more than four hours. The restart did not immediately restore normal operations, with thousands of aircraft and crews out of position.
More than 6,600 flights were canceled and 8,600 delayed, according to FlightRadar24, and another 1,500 flights had already been canceled for Sunday. The disruption threatened to keep U.S. airlines working through the weekend to repair schedules.
Airline stocks under pressure
The NYSE Arca Airline Index closed lower on Friday as airline shares fell late in the regular session. American Airlines, Delta and United fell between 1% and 2% in after-hours trading, while JetBlue lost about 3% as investors assessed the disruption.
FAA equipment and funding questions
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said overloaded routers and switches produced inconsistent data across air traffic control centers. The FAA halted departures as a safety precaution. Duffy called for $50 billion to modernize the aging air traffic control system. Earlier that day, the White House and Transportation Department separately urged Congress to approve $30.1 billion for aviation infrastructure upgrades.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said investigators had found no evidence of a cyberattack so far.
Recovery work continues
The ground stop is over, but the recovery is not automatic. Aircraft remain out of position, crews face duty-time limits, and passengers must be rebooked. Airlines could spend days rebuilding schedules after the disruption exposed how a single failure in shared infrastructure can affect the entire industry.
