Planes Flying Again, But Delays Rampant

All aircraft in the Chicago region were grounded Thursday afternoon, the first time that's happened since the terrorist attacks of 9/11... but this time around, it was Mother Nature striking fear into pilots and ground-dwellers alike.

Controllers were evacuated at O'Hare International Airport at 1524 CDT Thursday, due to strong wind gusts the FAA feared could blow out the flat glass panes of the airport's control tower. They followed ARTCC workers in Elgin, who were the first to seek safety from the strong storm, according to The Chicago Tribune.

The FAA declared "ATC/ZERO" -- a complete halt of all operations at O'Hare and Midway.

"We have Doppler radar so we knew to the minute when the worst of it would hit, but it was still ominous, like a gray wall coming at you," O'Hare controller Craig Burzych told the paper, adding it was only the second time in his 17 years on the job the tower had been evacuated.

The stop lasted only a few minutes -- operations at O'Hare resumed at 1537 -- but the ramifications from the storm lasted through Thursday evening. As of 1915 local, delays were averaging over 180 minutes at O'Hare, and 350 flights were cancelled. Things were better at Midway, where delays averaged "only" 60 to 90 minutes.

Further delays and cancellations were expected to last well into the night, according to the Chicago Department of Aviation.

FMI: www.faa.gov, www.ohare.com