Over 1,800 Flights Hit, Hundreds Cancelled At Dallas Airports After Telecom Outage

Over 1,800 flights were delayed and hundreds cancelled at Dallas airports following a telecommunications outage that forced the Federal Aviation Administration to implement ground stops on Friday.

The FAA reported they were reducing air traffic due to an equipment issue with a local telephone company, emphasizing that FAA equipment was not involved. "The FAA is collaborating with the telephone provider to identify the root cause," the agency stated.

Flight departures to Dallas Fort Worth were suspended until 11 p.m. ET, while Dallas Love Field departures were halted until at least 8:45 p.m. According to FlightAware, airlines canceled approximately 20% of their Dallas operations.

American Airlines had to cancel over 200 flights and delay more than 500, primarily due to the Dallas telecommunications disruption, affecting about 25% of their schedule. Meanwhile, Southwest Airlines experienced delays on more than 1,100 flights, representing 27% of their operations, FlightAware data showed.

This incident adds to numerous communications challenges the FAA has encountered this year.

Just a day earlier, flights into Denver International Airport faced slowdowns because of automation issues between an approach control tower and Denver air traffic control, necessitating manual handoff procedures and causing delays averaging 30-45 minutes.

The aging U.S. air traffic control infrastructure has prompted Congress to allocate an initial $12.5 billion in July for a comprehensive system overhaul. FAA officials have indicated that the current system experiences technical difficulties almost daily.

The FAA's air traffic control network has been deteriorating for years, but a series of prominent incidents, including near-misses, staffing deficiencies, and a fatal collision in January between a U.S. Army helicopter and a regional American Airlines aircraft that claimed 67 lives, has heightened public concern.