FAA Issues Nationwide Ground Stop Due to Communications Outage, Halting Departures at Harry Reid International Airport

LAS VEGAS, NV — Commercial air travel across Southern Nevada and the entire United States came to a standstill after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a rare nationwide ground stop for all departing U.S. flights due to a severe air traffic control telecommunications outage.

The emergency directive—which halted all takeoffs at Harry Reid International Airport (LAS)—was triggered around 1:00 p.m. PST (4:00 p.m. EST) on Friday, November 13, 2026, after a communications failure impacted Air Route Traffic Control Centers nationwide.

Clark County Department of Aviation spokeswoman Monika Bertaki confirmed the operational freeze at Harry Reid International Airport, urging all ticketed passengers to verify their flight status directly with their carriers before traveling to the terminals.

Across the country, nearly 11,000 flights have been delayed or canceled as FAA technicians work to restore the telecommunications backbone.

At Harry Reid International Airport alone, flight-tracking telemetry documented hundreds of immediate delays and dozens of outright cancellations, with passengers at Southwest Airlines check-in counters initially informed that departures could face up to a 24-hour disruption depending on system restoration.

+--------------------------------------------------------+
|       FAA NATIONWIDE GROUND STOP & LAS DOSSIER         |
+--------------------------------------------------------+
|  - Regulatory Order: FAA Nationwide Ground Stop        |
|    (All U.S. Airports & Air Route Control Centers)     |
|  - Root Cause: Air Traffic Control Telecommunications   |
|    Outage / Equipment Failure                          |
|  - Security Assessment: No Indication of Cyberattack   |
|    or Security Threat (Per DHS Secretary Markwayne     |
|    Mullin)                                             |
|  - Local Impact (LAS): All Departures Halted at Harry  |
|    Reid International Airport; 218+ Immediate Delays & |
|    12+ Initial Cancellations                           |
|  - National Impact: Nearly 11,000 U.S. Flights Delayed |
|    or Canceled; First Nationwide Ground Stop Since     |
|    January 2023                                        |
|  - Aviation Spokesperson: Monika Bertaki (Clark County |
|    Department of Aviation)                             |
+--------------------------------------------------------+

Federal Officials Rule Out Nefarious Attack

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed that FAA technicians were actively investigating the communications failure affecting Air Route Traffic Control Centers.

Notably, the outage occurred just one day after Duffy and Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought formally requested $30.1 billion from Congress to overhaul and modernize the nation’s aging air traffic control telecommunications infrastructure.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin addressed reporters at the White House to quell public alarm, emphasizing that federal intelligence agencies found no evidence of a coordinated attack.

“There was no indication, as of yet, that this was a nefarious attack against us—it’s just a telecommunication outage, as of right now,” Mullin stated.

The FAA added that every aircraft already airborne at the time of the order was safely accounted for, while international arrivals are being managed on a case-by-case basis.

Traveler Guidance for Las Vegas Terminals

This marks the first systemwide FAA ground stop across the United States since January 2023.

+--------------------------------------------------------+
|             PASSENGER ACTION & TERMINAL PROTOCOLS      |
+--------------------------------------------------------+
|  • Check Before You Go: Do not drive to Harry Reid     |
|    International Airport without confirming departure  |
|    status via your airline's mobile app or hotline     |
|  • Rebooking Waivers: Major carriers are expected to   |
|    issue travel waivers allowing fee-free rebooking    |
|  • International Flights: Inbound transoceanic and     |
|    cross-border flights handled case-by-case by ATC    |
+--------------------------------------------------------+

Source: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Command Center, Clark County Department of Aviation, U.S. Department of Transportation, U.S. Department of Homeland Security.