COVID-19 Case At DFW Airport Tower Causes Brief 'Ground Stop,' Operations Moved To Alternate Location
FORT WORTH, TX (CBSDFW.COM) -- Officials at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced Tuesday that a brief ground stop was put in place at the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport at about 3:30 p.m. after the West Tower at the airport reported a COVID-19 case.
"Air traffic controllers will work from an alternate location while cleaning of the West Tower workspace takes place," officials said in an email to CBS 11.
OPERATIONS UPDATE: A Ground Stop at DFW Airport is in effect until 5:15 p.m. CT for required sanitization of FAA facilities. This will impact some flights — customers should confirm their flight status with their airline.
— DFW Airport (@DFWAirport) April 6, 2021
"The FAA has a robust contingency plan for every air traffic control facility, and remains positioned to quickly address the effects of the COVID-19 public health emergency," said officials. "The agency continually monitors controller staffing and traffic demand, and remains in close contact with airports, airlines and other stakeholders so we can prioritize our resources to meet the greatest demand."
According to a tweet from DFW Airport, the stoppage was expected to end at 5:15 p.m. Central Daylight Time.
"A Ground Stop at DFW Airport is in effect until 5:15 p.m. CT for required sanitization of FAA facilities. This will impact some flights — customers should confirm their flight status with their airline," read the tweet.
The FAA said there are long-standing procedures in place should an air traffic control facility have to close. "This has been the case for many years and is not related to COVID-19," said officials.