A major telecom outage on Friday forced the FAA to issue ground stops at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and Dallas Love Field, disrupting more than 1,800 flights and causing hundreds of cancellations. The FAA said the issue stemmed from local telephone company equipment, not its own systems, and departures were halted into the evening.
American Airlines, which is based at DFW, cancelled over 200 flights and delayed 500 more—about a quarter of its schedule. Southwest Airlines saw more than 1,100 delays, affecting 27% of its operations.
The disruption adds to ongoing concerns about the ageing U.S. air traffic control system, which has faced repeated communication and automation failures this year. In July, Congress approved $12.5 billion to modernise the system amid rising public alarm following mishaps, near-misses, staffing shortages, and a deadly January crash.