FAA System Outage Grounds Morning Flights Across The Country

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) lifts its ground order for airports across the country including Will Rogers World Airport. 

The agency says flights are resuming gradually after an overnight crash to the Notice to Air Missions system.

It’s still unclear what led to the crash, but the effect was thousands of flights canceled or delayed.

By 4pm Wednesday, Will Rogers saw as many as 51 delays and 8 cancellations.

“We had some passengers that were here at the airport around three this morning,” Stacey Hamm, WRWA spokesperson, said. “Those individuals didn’t get out of Will Rogers until 9 this morning.”

At a minimum passengers were waiting two hours – by orders of the FAA.

The ground order went into effect around 6 a.m. Central Time and wasn’t lifted until 8 a.m.

The order also came two weeks after nationwide air travel chaos, but Hamm says most passengers took it in stride.

“Just kind of thought oh great here we go again – lightheartedly,” she added.

When the order eventually lifted, airlines played catchup.

A ripple effect came too. With hubs impacted, delays continued to build throughout the day.

The airport recommends checking your flight status before making the trip to the airport.