FAA lifts nationwide ground stop over ‘telecommunications outage’ as Microsoft services remain disrupted: Was there a link? Company responds

Microsoft has denied any known connection between its ongoing global service disruption and the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) nationwide ground stop that halted nearly all departing flights across the US on Friday, November 13.

In a post on X, the company said, “We have no indication that the FAA’s nationwide ground stop is related to any Microsoft services.”



“Microsoft has no indication that the FAA nationwide ground stop is related to the recent service disruption,” a Microsoft spokesperson said in a similar note to its statement to People magazine.

Meanwhile, Microsoft's service health status page continued to report a service degradation that is currently disrupting Microsoft 365 Business and Enterprise users. In its latest update, last refreshed at 10:00:36 PM UTC on Friday, November 13, the company said, “Users may be unable to connect to multiple Microsoft 365 services.”

According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) the rare nationwide ground stop, which disrupted air travel across the country and left thousands of passengers stranded, has since been lifted.

Also Read: FAA launched a new AI air traffic tool days before flights were grounded across the US: What is the new tool and was it behind the ground stop?

The FAA announced the ground stop shortly before 4 p.m. ET on Friday, citing “extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety,” according to an advisory from the agency’s Air Traffic Control System Command Center obtained by FlightRadar24.

US Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy blamed “a communication issue impacting all Air Route Traffic Control Centers”. The FAA later confirmed that “There has been a temporary telecommunications outage,” adding that “out of an abundance of caution,” flights had been halted. The agency said every flight had been accounted for and international flights would be handled on a case-by-case basis.

Markwayne Mullin, the secretary of Homeland Security, and Sean Duffy addressed the media at the White House minutes after the ground stop was lifted Friday night. Mullin reiterated that the passengers were never in danger during the hours-long stoppage.

Also Read: FAA nationwide ground stop: What you should NOT do if you want a refund for your canceled flight

He repeated that there were no signs of a cyberattack, and FAA grounding of planes is not linked to Microsoft outage, adding, “So far, what we’ve seen, there is actually no cyberattack.”

Duffy blamed “an incredibly old air traffic control system,” as quoted by the New York Times. He outlined many of the additional investments the air travel system needs, like new air traffic control towers, infrastructure and communication networks.

Friday’s nationwide ground stop marked the second such disruption since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.