FAA orders rare nationwide ground stop at all U.S. airports due to ‘extraordinary circumstances’  –The FAA has ordered all departing traffic in the U.S. to remain on the ground until further notice. | 13 Nov 2026 | The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued a nationwide ground stop on all U.S. flights due to “extraordinary circumstances.” According to reports, an unusual radio frequency outage has hit multiple high-traffic areas, including the Northeast and Chicago, which has triggered targeted but wide-reaching ground stops at airports. FAA updates currently show ground stops at Chicago O’Hare International Airport and Chicago Midway International Airport due to an “equipment outage.” The Air Traffic Control System Command Center (ATCSCC) said at 3.54pm ET that the reason for the immediate halting of U.S. flights was: “Due to extraordinary circumstances for safety reasons.”