Reopen Now, But TRACON Evacuation Hits Nationwide
Air traffic around the
country was slowed on Sunday after wildfires forced the evacuation
of the TRACON facility at Miramar Air Station (CA). Aircraft flying
out of airports like LAX, Lindbergh and others were held on the
ground for up to hours at a time. Inbound flights were diverted or
canceled. By late Sunday, delays had grown to as much as 16
hours.
It all started around 9am PST, as fires on the base, near San
Diego, forced everyone out of the Southern California TRACON. "The
net effect is a somewhat reduced ability to take in traffic," said
FAA spokesman Paul Turk in Washington (DC).
Southwest Airlines alone canceled 152 flights into and out of
southern California. Overseas arrivals were also hit hard.
Statement From LAX:
Los Angeles World Airports Statement Regarding Operations at LAX
and Ontario; Due To Temporary Closure Of FAA Radar Facility in San
Diego
At 6:00 p.m. PST (Sunday), Los Angeles World Airports reported
that Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Ontario
International Airport (ONT) were open and fully operational.
However, both airports were experiencing flight delays and
cancellations due to disruption of an FAA radar facility in San
Diego.
The FAA's Southern California Terminal Radar Approach Control
(TRACON) facility at Miramar Air Station was evacuated earlier
Sunday when it was threatened by one of the San Diego fires.
With the Miramar facility temporarily closed, the FAA was able
to handle only a portion of the normal air traffic for Southern
California airports, resulting in flight delays and cancellations
of flights throughout the nation.
Early Sunday evening, FAA controllers at LAX were handling about
half the normal hourly arrival rate of 70 aircraft. The reduction
in the number of arriving flights was causing delays or
cancellations in outbound flights.
To increase its operational capability, controllers from FAA's
Miramar facility were reporting to work at the LAX Tower and more
were expected to arrive overnight. FAA officials said Sunday
evening the additional staffing at the LAX Tower was beginning to
show a positive impact on the number of operations.
It is not known when the FAA's Miramar facility will resume
normal operations.
A check of major airlines at 5 p.m. indicated about 100 flight
cancellations had been recorded since mid-morning Sunday.