The Federal Aviation Administration issued a ground stop for both DFW International and Dallas Love Field Airports due to what the agency said was a telephone outage, effectively stopping departing and inbound flights.
“The FAA is slowing flights at Dallas Love Field and Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport due to a reported local telephone company equipment issue that does not involve FAA equipment,” the agency said in a statement to The Dallas Morning News. “The FAA is working with the telephone company to determine the cause.”
The FAA said originally said on its website the ground stops will last until 5 p.m. and the probability that the ground stops are extended is between a 30% and 60% chance. A ground stop prevents flights destined for North Texas from taking off until the FAA lifts the advisory.
By 4 p.m., the ground stop at Love Field was downgraded to a ground delay. Flights there were delayed by an average of 28 minutes, the FAA said. The FAA issued a ground delay at DFW Airport in addition to the ground stop and flights there were delayed by an average of 68 minutes, according to the agency.
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There were 626 delays and 172 cancellations at DFW Airport as of 4 p.m., according to FlightAware data. Love Field has 158 delays and 1 cancellation, according to FlightAware.
Love Field is dominated by Southwest Airlines, which operates out of 18 of the airport’s 20 gates. Fort Worth-based American Airlines operates its mega-hub out of DFW.
“The FAA reported an issue involving the telecommunications provider for the air traffic control facility that oversees the airspace in the Dallas-Fort Worth area,” American Airlines said in a statement on X. “As a result, the FAA has severely limited flights into both DFW Airport and Dallas Love Field, which is affecting our operation. As the FAA and its provider work to resolve the issue, American has issued a travel alert allowing customers whose travel plans are affected to rebook without change fees.”
The carrier pointed customers to its website for more information on the disruption.
The FAA also issued a ground stop for flights departing to Fort Worth Alliance Airport and Fort Worth Meacham International Airport, but the agency didn’t immediately specify why or if the stops were related to the outages at DFW and Love Field. Those ground stops are also expected to last until 5 p.m.