EL PASO, Texas — Planes are leaving El Paso International Airport in El Paso, Texas, again after the Federal Aviation Administration lifted a nationwide ground stop that held departing flights at airports across the country on Friday.
The FAA ordered the stop Friday afternoon, telling airports to keep departing planes on the ground because of what it called extraordinary circumstances and safety concerns. The cause was a communications problem affecting air traffic control, and the pause lasted more than four hours before departures were cleared to resume.
El Paso International Airport confirmed that flights were restarting and cautioned that travelers could still run into delays as airlines work through the backlog. The airport urged passengers to check directly with their airline for the latest status, including any cancellations, before driving to the terminal. While the stop dragged on, some people waiting at the airport started hunting for other ways to reach home.
Federal officials said the disruption came from a telecommunications outage, and the Homeland Security secretary said there was no sign of a cyberattack. Nationwide, close to 5,000 flights were canceled as the stop rippled through airline schedules, and several major carriers scrubbed most of their remaining Friday evening flights. The transportation and homeland security secretaries took questions about the outage at a White House briefing Friday.
With delays possible through the weekend, Borderland travelers with trips planned should confirm their flight times before leaving home and allow extra time at the airport.
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Filed under: El Paso TX Traffic News
