Air traffic disrupted due to radar and communication failures affecting air controllers in Dallas, causing flight suspensions.
In an unexpected turn of events, flights at Dallas's two major airports - Dallas Love Field and Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) - have been halted due to an equipment issue.
According to reports, the outage affected radar and phone communications at Dallas Love Field Air Traffic Control tower. The controller at the tower reported that the entire Metroplex (Dallas area) had gone down. This equipment issue is at Dallas TRACON, which handles flights arriving or departing the two airports.
As a result, as of 2 p.m. CT, there were 273 flight delays at DFW and 69 at Dallas Love Field. Southwest Airlines, which operates a hub at Dallas Love Field, was affected by the communication issues.
Notably, DFW is the third-busiest airport in the world and a major hub for American Airlines. The average delay for Dallas flights is currently two hours and 13 minutes, with the peak delay reaching more than seven hours.
In a statement, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed the halt of flights at both airports. The FAA is currently investigating the cause of the outage while working with the local telephone company to identify the root cause, which, it has been revealed, was a technical issue with the equipment of the telephone provider, not FAA equipment.
LiveATC.net recorded the audio from the Dallas Love Field Air Traffic Control tower, which revealed the controller losing all radar and phone communications. The Love Field tower was informed by approach to stop all departures due to communication issues. No departures are being made from Dallas Love Field until a system is set up.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available. The FAA has issued a statement regarding the slowing of flights into Dallas Love Field and DFW. The public is advised to monitor the situation and check with their airlines for the latest updates.
