FAA ground stop: When will it end? Not as soon as youd like.

November 13, 2026

Airplanes on the tarmac at LaGuardia Airport

For the second time since 9/11, all air travel in the United States has been temporarily halted.

The Federal Aviation Administration issued a rare nationwide ground stop on Friday afternoon, leaving countless travelers stranded at airports across the U.S. Officials, including Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy, attributed the stoppage to a communications issue whose cause is unknown at the time of publication.

Of course, the question on many people's minds right now is: When will the ground stop be lifted? Unfortunately, we do not know the answer to that right now. CNN reported that Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the government has "not discussed any timeframe."

“It’s going to take some time,” Mullin said, per CNN. “And so this isn’t going to just be resolved and turned around within the hour.”

That means this could very well last through Friday evening, at least. For reference, the last nationwide ground stop in 2023 lasted about 90 minutes, but Mullin's rhetoric seemed to suggest this one could take longer to resolve.

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The FAA nationwide ground stop sparks travel panic and viral memes
The FAA nationwide ground stop sparks travel panic and viral memes

On Nov. 13, 2026, the FAA announced that all U.S. flights were grounded. Here's how the internet reacted.