1 Runway At DFW Airport Reopens As Ice, Snow Continue Falling In North Texas
NORTH TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) — Officials at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport have confirmed the airport is open and operations teams are clearing the runways. Just before 11:00 a.m. the airport said it had 'reopened our first runway for operations.'
There can be no activity on runways while they are being treated for snow and ice, so there are no flights taking off or landing for hours on Thursday. Officials had anticipated reopening the first runway around 9:30 a.m.
WEATHER UPDATE: DFW has reopened our first runway for operations. Due to ongoing weather conditions, we anticipate intermediate stoppages throughout the day to treat for snow and ice. Customers should contact their airlines for all flight updates. pic.twitter.com/WeqKDXblo6
— DFW Airport (@DFWAirport) February 3, 2022
Operations crews at DFW Airport, which administratively its own city, are also continuing to treat all roads, bridges and overpasses at its more than 17,000 acre facility.
Winter weather is definitely impacting DFW. At one point the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was reporting that the airport was completely shutdown, but leadership at the North Texas airport -- the second busiest in the country -- say the facility itself remains open.
A local FAA spokesperson confirmed to CBS 11 News that the decision to close is up to the airport authority based on its ability to keep runways cleared of ice or snow.
Freezing rain and ice falling across North Texas is taking a toll at DFW though, with officials there saying 'cancellations do remain very high.' Fort Worth-based American Airlines alone canceled more than 1,000 flights on Thursday -- nearly 50% of all flights scheduled in and out of the airport.