Southwest Florida International saw flights canceled, delayed, due to Hurricane Idalia

Laura Layden, Naples Daily News
Updated ·1 min read
The runway at Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW) was a little more crowded than usual on Aug. 17, 2023 when 23 flights had to be diverted to the Fort Myers airport because of unsafe weather conditions at other Florida airports.
The runway at Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW) was a little more crowded than usual on Aug. 17, 2023 when 23 flights had to be diverted to the Fort Myers airport because of unsafe weather conditions at other Florida airports.

Hurricane Idalia led some airlines to cancel or delay flights at Southwest Florida International Airport on Wednesday.

The airport advised passengers to check their airline's website for information on changes caused by the Category 3 storm.

"By this afternoon, most flights will be operating normally," it stated in a 7 a.m. advisory.

A search of arriving flights Wednesday on the airport's website, showed nine cancellations by Delta, American Airlines, Breeze and United Airlines throughout the day.

As for departures, 19 were cancelled by the same carriers.

Southwest delayed four of its arriving flights, and three of its departing flights.

The outer bands of Hurricane Idalia lashed the beach at Blind Pass on Captiva as it passed by on Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2023. Surfers, shellers and beachgoers came to get a view of the storm as it churned to the north.
The outer bands of Hurricane Idalia lashed the beach at Blind Pass on Captiva as it passed by on Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2023. Surfers, shellers and beachgoers came to get a view of the storm as it churned to the north.

Several airlines, including Delta, Southwest, JetBlue and United, allowed passengers traveling to airports in Idalia's path to make changes for free, within a certain timeframe.

Southwest Florida International reported no damage from the storm, neither did its sister general aviation airport Page Field in Lee County.

In neighboring Collier County, the Marco Island and Immokalee airports are open and operating as usual, with no damages reported, said Elena Ortiz Rosado, with the county's Public Transit & Neighborhood Enhancement Division, in an email.

The Everglades airport, however, remains closed, after it saw flooding that covered the runway on Tuesday.

The extent of the damages is still unknown.

"They are waiting on the initial assessment," Rosado said.

Naples Airport saw no damage, unlike with Hurricane Ian.

Operations returned to normal on Wednesday, said spokesman Zachary Burch in an email.

"But we do expect a slower day, given all of the weather just to our north," he said.

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Hurricane Idalia caused flight disruptions at RSW