All U.S. flights grounded nationwide; YVR cancels U.S.-bound departures

The Federal Aviation Administration ordered a nationwide ground stop for all U.S. flights just after 2 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13, citing "extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety." If you are flying from Vancouver to the U.S. today, your departure is likely affected: the airport lists 37 delayed flights and 13 cancellations over the past 24 hours, and the evening's cancellations include Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Portland, Sacramento and Palm Springs. Domestic flights within Canada are not affected.

The advisory told flights to cease "until further notice," and inbound flights to the U.S. are being handled "on a case-by-case basis." Domestic flights already in the air were allowed to continue. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on X that the cause is a communication issue affecting all Air Route Traffic Control Centers, and that FAA technicians are investigating. "We will provide immediate updates as we have them," he said. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said there is no indication of a "nefarious attack," but gave no clear timeline for how long the stoppage will last.

At YVR, spokesperson Alicia Doyle said the airport is seeing delays for U.S.-bound departures and some international flights that would fly over the U.S. Travellers are advised to check their flight status with their airline or at yvr.ca before heading to the airport.

Nav Canada says all Canadian systems are operating normally and can support diverted aircraft. Air Canada has introduced a flexible change policy for flight disruptions on Canadian routes, effective Nov. 13. The FAA denied that its newly expanded SMART AI traffic tool was a cause; Mullin has not ruled it out.

The FAA will provide the next update when the ground stop is lifted.