A telecommunication outage impacted air traffic operations in Dallas on Friday afternoon, resulting in significant disruptions at both Dallas Love Field and Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported that air traffic controllers experienced a loss of radar and communication capabilities, prompting immediate action to halt flights at the affected airports.
Initially, all operations were suspended, but flights began to resume after 3:30 p.m. CT. The FAA issued a statement confirming a local telephone company equipment issue as the cause of the disruption, which they were investigating in collaboration with the telecommunications provider.
Air traffic controllers depend heavily on telecommunications systems to connect various facilities, including airport control towers and the Terminal Radar Approach Control, responsible for handling flights arriving and departing from the airports. A recorded communication from the Love Field Air Traffic Control tower revealed the severity of the situation. The controllers declared that they “lost all radar and phone communications” and would not permit any departures until the system was restored. Communication issues were corroborated by a Southwest Airlines pilot, who indicated that approach control could not reach them.
Meanwhile, controllers at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport also halted all departures as they faced similar communication challenges. They expressed uncertainty regarding the duration of the stoppage, having dealt with a similar incident just days prior due to a severed line.
The consequences of the outage quickly accumulated, with FlightAware reporting over 430 cancellations and 580 delays at DFW, in addition to more than 190 delays at Love Field by Friday evening. Passengers expressed frustration as they waited in long lines to rebook flights. One passenger, Krysta Wagner, shared her experience, noting ongoing delays that threatened her layover. Kevin Hensley decided to forgo his flight to Boston after experiencing lengthy wait times, opting instead for a morning departure. Another traveler, Marion Anson-Perchal, worried about missing her cruise after her flight to Florida was canceled.
As the largest airport hub in the world, DFW plays a critical role in national and international air travel, while Southwest Airlines operates a significant base at Love Field. In light of the disruptions, both American Airlines and Southwest Airlines announced travel alerts allowing affected customers to rebook without incurring change fees. A spokesperson for Southwest indicated that they were resuming normal operations and would work to minimize further delays.
Earlier this year, similar issues with telecommunications affected air traffic controllers on the East Coast, resulting in lost contact with flights approaching Newark Liberty International Airport. That incident brought to light the broader vulnerabilities in the air traffic control system, prompting Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy to call on Congress to support a proposed multi-billion dollar overhaul of the air traffic control infrastructure.
A coordinated response to the outage highlights ongoing concerns around the reliability of telecommunications connections, which are vital for the safe and efficient management of air traffic across the nation’s airports.
