SOUTH COAST The Federal Aviation Administration lifted its nationwide ground stop Friday night, and South Coast travelers flying out of Logan or T.F. Green on Saturday should check with their airline before leaving home.
"At 8:15 tonight, Eastern time, we've opened up the airspace," U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said at a news briefing Friday night, CBS News reported. The stop began at 3:54 p.m. and held departing flights across the country for more than four hours, Al Jazeera and Reuters reported.
Shortly after 10 p.m., the FAA said in a post on its X account that it had lifted the ground stop and that some departures were resuming. "Before clearing flights to resume, we thoroughly tested our systems to confirm they were stable and that operations remain reliable," the agency wrote, adding that passengers should contact their airlines for flight updates.
Duffy said not every flight would leave right away, telling reporters, "It's going to be slow," according to CBS News. "So if you're watching, you're at an airport, check with your airline."
At Logan and T.F. Green
Flights at Logan resumed hours after the stop was issued, CBS Boston reported, and Massport, which runs Logan, said Friday night, "As flight operations gradually return to normal, some delays may continue. We encourage passengers to check directly with their airline for the latest flight information."
Massport spokesperson Jennifer Mehigan told The Boston Globe that some international flights took off Friday but most domestic flights were canceled for the night, and she said it might take a day or two to get back to normal, "similar to a blizzard."
JetBlue canceled the rest of its Friday flights except those bound for Europe from Logan and New York's JFK Airport, CBS Boston and NBC News reported.
The Rhode Island Airport Corporation, which runs T.F. Green, told travelers Friday to check with their airlines to understand delays, The Providence Journal reported. Anyone booked on Cape Air out of New Bedford Regional Airport can reach the airline at 800-227-3247, according to its Explore New Bedford listing.
What caused it
Duffy blamed aging air traffic control equipment, Al Jazeera and Reuters reported, saying, "Our switches, our routers actually got overloaded with data and they started to give us inconsistencies in the data from those routers." Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said officials had seen no sign of a cyberattack so far, telling reporters, "We're still working through that process," NBC News reported.
Read our Nov. 13 story for how the ground stop played out Friday at Logan, T.F. Green and the island airports.
Label: Reported by us, from the town's posted records.
Notes
The FAA's own words come from its post on X, which we read on its account Saturday morning, Nov. 14, 2026. The 8:15 p.m. lift time is Secretary Duffy's, as CBS News quoted him, and NBC News, Al Jazeera and Reuters reported the same time; the 3:54 p.m. start comes from Al Jazeera and Reuters. Massport's statement comes from CBS Boston and its spokesperson's remarks from The Boston Globe, JetBlue's cancellations from CBS Boston and NBC News, and the T.F. Green statement from The Providence Journal. We checked each date and weekday against a calendar. Not heard: the FAA has not said what caused the outage.
Corrections
No corrections to this story. If something here is wrong, tell us. Every correction is dated on the story and listed in our public log.
Sources (9)
- The FAA (@FAANews) on X: ground stop liftedThe FAA's own post, Fri. Nov. 13, 2026, 10:05 p.m. EST (time from the post id; X showed "7h"): lifted the ground stop, some departures resuming, systems tested, passengers should contact their airlines. Read in a Chrome tab Nov. 14, 2026, about 5:27 a.m.
- FAA Statement on Nationwide Ground Stop | Federal Aviation AdministrationDated Friday, Nov. 13, 2026: the FAA's statement issuing the stop; it carried no update on the lift when read. Read Nov. 14, 2026, about 5:22 a.m.
- FAA lifts nationwide ground stop that disrupted thousands of flights | CBS NewsUpdated Nov. 13, 2026, 11:03 p.m. EST: Secretary Duffy's "At 8:15 tonight, Eastern time, we've opened up the airspace" and "It's going to be slow" remarks; the FAA's post quoted. Read Nov. 14, 2026, about 5:31 a.m.
- US flights resume after FAA lifts hours-long nationwide ground stop | Al Jazeera (with Reuters)Nov. 13, 2026: stop issued at 3:54 p.m. and lifted at 8:15 p.m. Eastern; Duffy's switches and routers quote. Read Nov. 14, 2026, about 5:24 a.m.
- FAA lifts ground stop as U.S. airports grapple with thousands of canceled flights | NBC NewsLive blog, Nov. 13, 2026: lifted at 8:15 p.m. (8:36 and 9:57 p.m. entries); Mullin on no cyberattack so far (9:57 p.m.); the FAA's post (10:43 p.m.); JetBlue cancellations. Read Nov. 14, 2026, about 5:24 a.m.
- Hundreds of flights delayed or canceled at Logan Airport after nationwide ground stop | CBS BostonUpdated Nov. 13, 2026, 11:17 p.m. EST: flights at Logan resumed; Massport's Friday night statement; JetBlue's cancellations except Europe-bound flights from Logan and JFK. Read Nov. 14, 2026, about 5:36 a.m.
- Logan Airport flight delays: Latest on FAA ground stop | The Boston GlobeNov. 13, 2026: Massport spokesperson Jennifer Mehigan on international flights, domestic cancellations and "a day or two" to get back to normal. Read Nov. 14, 2026, about 5:36 a.m.
- T.F. Green departures halted as FAA grounds flights across nation | The Providence Journal (republished on Yahoo News)Updated Nov. 13, 2026, 5:03 p.m. EST: the Rhode Island Airport Corporation's statement telling travelers to check with their airlines. Read Nov. 13, 2026, about 5:57 p.m.
- Cape Air | Explore New BedfordExplore New Bedford listing: Cape Air from New Bedford Regional Airport to Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket; phone 800-227-3247. Read Nov. 13, 2026, about 6 p.m.