- US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has warned of further flight cancellations
- More than 20,000 flights were impacted by a nationwide flight stoppage
- The ground stop followed a communications failure at air traffic control centres
- Transatlantic flights have resumed but full schedules are not expected until 15 November
- The FAA has lifted European airspace restrictions
US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has warned of ongoing flight cancellations as airlines grapple with thousands of stranded passengers after a communications failure at air traffic control centres caused a nationwide ground stop. Major carriers lprioritised international routes during the recovery and announced that their mass cancellations are largely over.
Transatlantic flights have resumed, though full schedules are not expected to return to normal until the end of today, Sunday, November 15, 2026. Following Friday’s rare four-hour nationwide ground stop in the United States, airlines are still clearing a massive backlog of displaced aircraft and crews.
The trouble began at 15:36 when air traffic control centres experienced instability in radar and communications systems. Switches and routers became overloaded with data and produced inconsistencies. The system was shut down but at no stage were radar or communications completely lost and thousands of planes landed safely. The ground stop was the longest US flight shutdown since the 11 September 2001 attacks.
Transatlantic flights have resumed though full schedules are not expected until the end of 15 November. European airspace restrictions were lifted. Flights into and out of Ireland and England continue to face knock-on disruptions. Dublin Airport warned that flights between Ireland and the US could be affected with delays and a small number of cancellations.
An initial European Aviation Authority directive that restricted flights from Europe to the US has been removed. While many transatlantic services are operating, flights into and out of Ireland continue to face knock-on disruptions, mainly due to misplaced aircraft Several Sunday US-bound services from London Heathrow remain delayed or canceled as carriers reposition planes. Major transatlantic gateways like New York’s JFK Airport are still experiencing hundreds of residual delays and cancellations today.
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Bryan Bedford stated that airline partners expect to achieve full schedule integrity by the close of business on Sunday.
T ransport officials advise checking directly with your airline before heading to the airport, as international flights are being managed on a case-by-case basis. Passengers can track real-time US airport delays and airspace status on the official FAA National Airspace System Status portal
The cancellations included four Dublin bound flights & two returns cancelled amid 13,000 aircraft across USA, , with over 900 additional cancellations recorded for Sunday.
- Inbound Chicago EI424@09.30
- Chicago UA981@10.40 & inbound UA980
- New York JFK DL45@10.45 & unbound DL44
- Inbound Washington EI116@0505
Sean Duffy shared “Operations are slowly returning to normal this morning. Planes are pushing back, taxiing, and taking off, and it is safe to fly. You will continue to see some delays and cancellations as carriers reschedule flights and reposition aircraft and crews where they are needed most.”
