Copa Airlines, Panama’s flag carrier, warned passengers on Friday 13 November 2026 of possible delays and cancellations on flights to and from the United States. The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA, the national air traffic regulator) had ordered a ground stop, meaning planes are held on the ground, at US airports after a telecommunications outage.
—Notice. Copa warned US travellers on Friday of possible delays and cancellations.
—Cause. The FAA called it a “temporary telecommunications outage” and halted flights as a precaution.
—Status. The FAA airport status feed listed no ground stops at 6:42 p.m. New York time; the cause is unconfirmed.
—Affected. Copa has not said which routes or how many flights are affected.
—Prediction markets. Polymarket gave 51.5% that the FAA declares the stop lifted by 10 p.m. ET Friday (6:43 p.m. ET, 13 November).
—Power Index. Panama ranks 11th of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 33.3 points (November 2026 edition).
What Copa and the FAA Said
Copa warned passengers on Friday that a temporary halt of air operations in the United States could cause delays and cancellations. The airline has not said which routes or how many flights are affected.
The FAA said on X on Friday 13 November that there had been “a temporary telecommunications outage” and that all flights had been halted “out of an abundance of caution”. It added that every flight had been accounted for and that international flights would be handled case by case.
The outage hit air route traffic control centres, the regional facilities that guide aircraft between airports. By about 6 p.m. New York time the FAA said departures would be allowed as those facilities recovered, and its airport status feed listed no ground stops at 6:42 p.m., though we found no formal notice declaring the nationwide stop over.
Why It Matters for US Travellers
Most of Copa’s US flights connect through Tocumen airport, Panama City’s main airport, so a US-wide departure halt can disrupt connections on both sides. We have no confirmed count of Copa flights delayed or cancelled.
Copa Holdings, the airline’s parent company, trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker CPA, so US investors also follow such disruptions. The FAA has not said how long normal operations will take to return.
Panamá Viejo, the ruins of Panama City’s first settlement. File photo. Photo: Editorpana, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia CommonsOn Polymarket, a prediction market where users trade real money on outcomes, a contract on the FAA declaring the nationwide stop lifted by 10 p.m. ET on Friday 13 November was priced at 51.5% at 6:43 p.m. ET. The contract for midnight stood at 88.0% and for noon Saturday at 91.5%, on trading volume of US$496,963 across the contracts.
These prices are bets, not forecasts from the FAA, and the market pays out only if the FAA or the US Department of Transportation officially announces the nationwide stop is no longer in effect. Why we show this: prediction markets turn real-money bets into a live probability that moves within minutes of the news, which is why investors, campaigns and newsrooms in the United States now follow them closely. We show them next to polls and official results, never instead of them.
What Is Not Known
The FAA has not published a root cause, and the end time of the nationwide halt was not confirmed when we wrote this. Copa has not said which routes or how many flights are affected.
What to Watch Next
The FAA’s National Airspace System status page at nasstatus.faa.gov shows live airport delays and ground stops, and the FAA said its technicians were investigating the outage. Copa’s flight-status page and app are the airline’s own channel for changes; the next FAA or Copa update has no announced time.
For background on the airline’s parent, see our Copa Holdings company profile. More is in our Panama coverage.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Copa warning of delays?
Copa warned that a temporary halt of air operations in the United States could cause delays and cancellations. The FAA said a telecommunications outage prompted the halt.
What should Copa passengers do?
Copa’s flight-status page and the FAA’s airport status page at nasstatus.faa.gov show live changes. Copa has not published a list of affected flights.
US Federal Aviation Administration, statement on X, 13 November 2026 · FAA National Airspace System status · Polymarket, ground stop market, 13 November 2026