The FAA held departures at every U.S. airport, JAX included, from 3:54 to 8:19 p.m. Friday after a communications failure. It has not yet said what caused it.

Overview

The Federal Aviation Administration stopped departures from every U.S. airport Friday afternoon, Jacksonville International Airport included. The stop ran from 3:54 to 8:19 p.m. The FAA blamed communication issues at several of its regional air traffic control centers. As of Sunday morning it had not said what caused them.

Planes at Jacksonville International Airport were held on the ground for about four and a half hours Friday. The order covered every airport in the country.

The FAA said in a statement Friday that it issued the ground stop “following communication issues impacting multiple Air Route Traffic Control Centers.” Those centers guide planes between airports. “FAA technicians are investigating the issue,” the agency said. The statement is marked as preliminary. It had not been updated with a cause by Sunday morning, and the FAA has not said which centers were affected.

The Jacksonville Aviation Authority, which runs JAX, had posted no statement about the stop on its press releases page by Sunday morning.

How Friday unfolded

The FAA’s Air Traffic Control System Command Center publishes its orders to airlines as numbered advisories. Its advisories for Friday show this sequence, in Jacksonville time:

  • 3:54 p.m.: “All airports are ground stopped,” the Command Center said, “due to extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety.” Departing flights were to stay on the ground until further notice. Inbound international flights were handled case by case.
  • 4:20 p.m.: Planes already in the air were told to expect holding patterns at any airport “due to equipment outages.”
  • 4:21 p.m.: The Command Center extended flight plan times at every en route center to 240 minutes, citing a “nationwide comms failure.”
  • 5:46 p.m.: The stop stayed in force, with “communications failure” given as the reason. Flights would be allowed to leave as the regional centers recovered.
  • 8:19 p.m.: The Command Center canceled the nationwide ground stop.

Later Friday night the Command Center said several ground stops remained at individual airports at airlines’ request. Its 9:24 p.m. operations plan named Seattle, San Diego, Newark and Minneapolis-St. Paul, each for one airline’s flights. Jacksonville was not on it.

What it means for you

  • If your flight from JAX was canceled or rebooked, your airline handles the new booking.
  • The airport’s flight information page lists arrivals and departures.
  • The FAA’s National Airspace System status page shows any live ground stops and delays by airport. At 7:30 a.m. Sunday it listed none for Jacksonville.
  • A connection through a larger hub can still run late after a stop ends, so check the second leg of your trip as well as the first.

Frequently asked questions

Why were flights stopped at Jacksonville International Airport on Friday, Nov. 13?

The Federal Aviation Administration ordered a ground stop at all U.S. airports after what it called communication issues at several of its Air Route Traffic Control Centers. Jacksonville International Airport was covered because the order applied to every airport.

How long did the nationwide ground stop last?

About four and a half hours. The FAA Command Center ordered it at 3:54 p.m. Eastern time Friday and canceled it at 8:19 p.m., according to its published advisories.

Has the FAA said what caused the outage?

Not yet. As of Sunday morning its only statement, marked preliminary, said FAA technicians were investigating.

Are flights at JAX delayed now?

On Sunday morning the FAA’s airport status page listed no ground stop or delay program for Jacksonville. Your airline has the status of your own flight.