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.

FMI: www.faa.gov