Newshot 
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - All West Coast flights have been halted due to debris from a SpaceX launch, the Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation said Friday.
The department announced the halt in a 1:55 p.m. update, after flights between Hawaiʻi and the West Coast had resumed following a nationwide Federal Aviation Administration ground stop. Officials urged travelers to continue checking with their carriers for updates.
In a separate update Friday, the Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation said all interisland flights remained active.
11/13/26 1:55PM: All west coast flights have been halted due to debris from SpaceX launch. Please continue to check with your carrier for further updates. https://t.co/Et1gtFbfe7— Hawaii DOT (@DOTHawaii) November 13, 2026
11/13/26 1:55PM: All west coast flights have been halted due to debris from SpaceX launch. Please continue to check with your carrier for further updates. https://t.co/Et1gtFbfe7
SpaceX launched its Starship rocket from Texas on Friday, but its first-stage booster malfunctioned and ended up in the Gulf after an automatic abort, according to The Associated Press. The spacecraft continued toward orbit.
The FAA had issued the earlier nationwide ground stop following a communications issue affecting air traffic control centers.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said FAA technicians were investigating the issue but did not provide a timeline for a return to normal service.
RELATED POST: Flights halted at airports across US due to air traffic control communications problems, FAA says
Flights and airport operations
Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation Director Ed Sniffen said officials were notified of the ground stop at about 10:50 a.m. for domestic flights to and from the continental U.S.
“There’s been adjustments throughout. Initially, flights, international flights were unrestricted. Then we got notifications that there are some conflicts with the international flights,” he said.
Before the latest halt, Sniffen said some flights had been cleared to leave Hawaiʻi for the West Coast.
Officials were repositioning aircraft and planning to use taxiways and some runways for parking to make room for arriving planes, he said.
“The big message to all the public is things are changing pretty quickly,” Sniffen said. “Before you come down to the airport, make sure you reach out to your carrier.”
What travelers should know
Hawaiian and Alaska airlines said a flexible travel policy was in place for guests who need to change their plans.
Even after the ground stop is lifted, the airlines said, it will take time to safely return operations to schedule.
Nationwide ground stops are rare. A pilot notification system outage prompted one in January 2023; the previous nationwide stop followed the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.