By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The Federal Aviation Administration issued ground stops at Dallas Love Field and Dallas-Fort Worth airports on Friday afternoon after a communication issue delayed more than 300 flights.
The FAA said it was slowing traffic due to a reported local telephone company equipment issue that does not involve FAA equipment. “The FAA is working with the telephone company to determine the cause,” the agency said.
The issues are expected to persist for several more hours.
The FAA has faced numerous communications issues this year.
On Thursday, the FAA slowed flights into Denver International Airport because automation issues between an approach control tower and Denver air traffic control were requiring manual handoff procedures for flights causing delays averaging 30 to 45 minutes.
A series of issues involving the aging U.S. air traffic control system prompted Congress in July to award an initial $12.5 billion in funding to overhaul the system that FAA leaders say is having tech issues almost everyday.
The FAA air traffic control network’s woes have been years in the making, but a rush of high-profile mishaps, near-misses, staffing shortages and a catastrophic crash in January between a U.S. Army helicopter and regional American Airlines jet that killed 67 has spiked public alarm.
(Reporting by Christian Martinez in Los Angeles, David Shepardson in Washington and Ryan Patrick Jones in Toronto; Editing by Caitlin Webber and Franklin Paul)
Comments