Positive COVID-19 Test at Dallas Airport Control Facility Causes Flight Delays
Dallas airports delayed incoming and outgoing flights on Wednesday, December 30, after a positive COVID-19 test and severe weather forced a group stop by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
An airplane announcement said there would be a two-delay due to a “COVID issue” relating to Dallas-Fort Worth air traffic control. This video posted by Shannon Self shows the announcement on a flight from Houston to Dallas Love Field airport.
The FAA said, air traffic delays in and around Dallas-Fort Worth were due to an air traffic control employee testing positive for COVID-19 as well as convective weather. A ground stop was called and controllers were evacuated from the control facility while cleaning was undertaken.
Dallas-Fort Worth also announced its airspace closure due to a required sanitization cleaning of offsite FAA facilities.
Air traffic at Dallas Fort-Worth resumed at 5 pm, and the stoppage was lifted for Love Field at 5:20 pm, according to statements released by the respective airports.
Flightradar24.com published a timelapse video showing air traffic not entering or leaving Dallas airspace while the incident was occurring. Credit: Shannon Self via Storyful
