Passengers are facing ongoing delays after a telecommunications outage on Friday caused Federal Aviation Administration air traffic controllers in Dallas to lose radar and some communications.
“The FAA is slowing flights at Dallas Love Field and Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport due to a reported local telephone company equipment issue that does not involve FAA equipment,” the agency told The Independent. “The FAA is working with the telephone company to determine the cause.”
Air traffic controllers use local phone company telecom lines to connect facilities, such as airport towers and the Terminal Radar Approach Control, for managing flight arrivals and departures.
The outage caused officials to order ground stops in the area, which have since been lifted. However, delays are ongoing. As of 10:45 p.m. Friday, there were 534 delays and 506 cancellations at DFW on Friday, according to the website Flight Aware. Love Field had a total of 208 delays and one cancellation.
A DFW spokesperson told The Independent that passengers should check with their airline for up-to-date flight status and accommodation information.
“Passenger safety is DAL’s top priority, and we are in constant communication with our partners, including the FAA, as they work to manage the situation and minimize disruptions,” the spokesperson said. “These and future notices can be viewed on the FAA’s NASS.”
As the third-busiest airport in the world, DFW serves as a major hub for American Airlines. Southwest Airlines operates out of Love Field, where it maintains its own hub.
Earlier this year, a faulty telecommunications line between Long Island and Philadelphia caused repeated communication failures with flights near Newark Liberty Airport.
On April 28, a major outage silenced radios for 30 seconds and disabled radar for 90 seconds, prompting five FAA employees to take trauma leave and resulting in thousands of delayed flights.
Three more outages followed before a new fiber optic cable was installed.
In response, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is urging Congress to fund a new, multi-billion-dollar air traffic control system.
