Dallas flights grounded as air traffic facility with 3 positive Covid tests in a week is sanitized

Two airports in Dallas temporarily stopped incoming and departing flights due to a Covid-19 required sanitization at an air control tower.

Flights were subject to a ground stop at Dallas Love Field and Dallas-Fort Worth International airports Wednesday, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. A tweet from DFW said that the stoppage was due to a “required sanitization cleaning of offsite FAA facilities that control the airspace” around the airport.

“This will result in possible delays and cancellations,” DFW tweeted.

The FAA told NBC Dallas the stoppage was a combination of weather and Covid-19 related issues.

An online dashboard for the FAA’s facilities showed personnel tested positive at Fort Worth Air Route Traffic Control Center three times in the past week, including a new positive on Wednesday. The dashboard also states that the air tower required a cleaning between 3 p.m. and 5:30 p.m local time.

Daniel Pitts told NBC Dallas that he was on American Airlines Flight 422 headed to Fort Lauderdale when a pilot told them the control tower was not operating due to Covid-19. The passengers were allowed to deboard and return to the terminal.

The stoppages at DFW and Love Field were lifted by 5:30 p.m. local time, although both airports said to expect further delays.