Dozens of flights impacted at SLC Int’l Airport after ground stop order
Jan 11, 2023, 9:42 AM | Updated: 11:35 am
Dozens of flights were delayed Wednesday morning at the SLC Int'l Airport after the nation-wide failure of a computer program grounded all U.S. flights. (Derek Peterson, KSLTV)
(Derek Peterson, KSLTV)
SALT LAKE CITY — Airplanes were slowly getting back into the air Wednesday morning after a ground-stop order implemented by the FAA was lifted.
The FAA notified Salt Lake City International Airport around 1:50 a.m. MST according to Nancy Volmer, a spokesperson for Salt Lake City International Airport. The flight stoppage lasted until about 7 a.m. MST.
Volmer said 15 early flights were impacted by the order.
“We had about 15 flights that were scheduled to depart at about 5 to 7 a.m., MST. So those were impacted by the ground stop. And of course because of the issues we are seeing delays and some cancellations at the airport,” Volmer told KSL NewsRadio’s Utah’s Morning News.
As for the passengers that were delayed, Volmer said airlines typically try to get them on same-day flights, as soon as they can.
According to the FAA, the agency sends pilots and other air personnel a NOTAM, or Notice to Air Mission System to tell them about a problem that can’t be publicized in advance, or when using other means isn’t timely enough. A runway closure at an airport is an example of the type of information passed to pilots by NOTAM.
It was the NOTAM system that failed early Wednesday morning according to Volmer.
“It’s the type of information that is so important to pilots and the safety of passengers,” Volmer said.
By 9 a.m. on Wednesday, Volmer said that operations at the SLC airport were moving along well. But, dozens of flights have been delayed, and eight were cancelled.
Volmer advised anybody flying today to contact their airline via that airline’s app or webpage, or by telephone.
” … to see if their flight has been delayed, and if it has, they don’t need to get out to the airport quite so early.”
Flight operations @SLC have resumed after the nationwide FAA ground stop. About 86 flights have been delayed and 8 cancelled, so passengers are encouraged to check with their airline for potential delays.
— SaltLakeCityAirport (@slcairport) January 11, 2023
Related: Flight departures resume across the United States after FAA system outage
