Hawai‘i airports affected by FAA ground stop of all flights nationwide following ‘communication issue’

This story was updated at 1:28 p.m., Nov. 13, 2026.

The Federal Aviation Administration issued a nationwide ground stop Friday for all U.S. airports following a communication issue impacting all Air Route Traffic Control Centers, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy said on X.

“Out of an abundance of caution, all flights have been halted,” the FAA said on X. “Every flight has been accounted for and international flights will be handled on a case by case basis.”

But around 1 p.m., Hawaiian/Alaska Airlines confirmed that all of its west coast flights would resume, and that flights between Anchorage to Oakland and Hawaiʻi may fly per the FAA, according to the state Department of Transportation in Facebook posts. The department said for passengers to check with their carriers for further updates.

Currently, there is no stoppage for interisland flights, but there may be delays as crews move planes, said Shelly Kunishige, spokesperson for the department. If it’s the second leg of a trans-Pacific flight, Kunishige didn’t think those flights would be affected.

For the national problem, FAA technicians are investigating the issue, federal officials said.

Unlike the last time their was a nationwide ground stop, after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, planes were not ordered on Friday to immediately land. Pilots are able to communicate with ground controllers at airports and can continue to their destinations, the AP reported.

The ground stop is affecting the major airports in Hawai‘i. Shelly Kunishige, spokesperson for the Hawai‘i Department of Transportation, told Big Island Now state officials are looking at Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport, Kahului Airport on Maui and Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu to see if there is enough room to accommodate the inbound transpacific flights, considering no transpacific flights can depart at this time.

Kunishige said the Department of Transportation didn’t have any further information about the grounding.

“We know as much as you do,” she said.

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin said during a press conference on Friday that the FAA ground stop was issued because of a telecommunications issue. He said all planes were accounted for and that there is “‘no reason to believe” there is a threat to the United States.

There are about 80 flights inbound to Kona, Honolulu and Maui as of Friday afternoon.

Kunishige said the state department is determining if there is enough room at the Kona airport to accommodate them or if some of them need to be redirected to larger Hilo International Airport, on the other side of the island.

This is a developing story. More information will be provided as it becomes available.