MCO Included in FAA Nationwide Ground Stop, Nov 13

By Samantha B. · Mom of five · Winter Park, FL

Published November 13, 2026

The Federal Aviation Administration ordered a nationwide ground stop on Friday, November 13, affecting all U.S. airports, including Orlando International Airport, according to reports. As of Friday, November 13, the order applies to departing flights and was described as being issued for safety reasons.

Reports say the FAA halted all departing flights nationwide “due to extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety.” Orlando International Airport, the main airport used by many Walt Disney World travelers, is included in the ground stop.

The coverage cites an FAA advisory to aircraft operators. No end time for the ground stop was included in the reported details.

What we know

Updated 4:26 AM ET, Saturday, November 14 with new reporting.

• Departing flights — reportedly halted under the FAA order.
• Reason given — the FAA reportedly cited “extraordinary circumstances” and safety.
• 8:30 p.m. Eastern update — the ground stop was reported lifted, with flights slowly resuming.
• Departing flights — were told to stay on the ground until further notice during the stop, according to the FAA advisory described in the report.
• Inbound flights — were to be handled case by case; flights already airborne could reportedly continue to their destinations.
• Flights already airborne — reportedly were not automatically ordered to land.
• International arrivals — reportedly set for case-by-case handling.
• Walt Disney World theme parks — no confirmed indication that Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, or Disney’s Animal Kingdom closed because of the FAA directive.

What’s not confirmed

Disney has not announced any Walt Disney World operational changes tied to the ground stop.

The reported details do not include when the ground stop will be lifted, whether arriving flights are affected in the same way, or which individual airlines and flight numbers are delayed or canceled.

Planning around this? See crowds for my dates.

What it means for your trip

If you are flying out of Orlando International Airport on Friday, November 13, treat your departure timing as unstable until your airline updates your specific flight.

If you have a Walt Disney World arrival day plan built around landing at MCO, avoid locking yourself into a time-sensitive dining reservation or paid experience close to your scheduled arrival. A ground stop can create knock-on delays even after flights begin moving again.

If you are already at Walt Disney World and flying home from MCO, build extra airport time into your day and avoid using your final hours on anything that requires a hard stop, like a sit-down meal far from your resort pickup point or rides across multiple parks.

For arrival-day dining, quick-service is the safer play than a table-service reservation until your flight status is firm. If a hard-to-get restaurant opens later, SupaPark’s dining Drop Watch can alert you, but you still book the reservation yourself in My Disney Experience.

SupaPark tracks live wait times and crowd forecasts, and pings you the second a hard-to-get reservation opens or a ride goes walk-on — free to start at supapark.com.