Low Clouds Trigger Morning Ground Stop at Phoenix Sky Harbor; 292 Flights Delayed, One Canceled
Phoenix is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona. Nearly 300 flights were delayed or canceled at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport on Tuesday, October 13, due to stormy weather. The Federal Aviation Administration ordered a ground stop for the airport due to low ceilings; the ground stop took effect at 6:30 a.m. on October 13 and expired at about 9 a.m. It was replaced by a departure delay program, which expired as the rain petered out.
One flight was canceled and 292 flights were delayed as of 2:30 p.m. on October 13, according to flight tracking website FlightAware. Flights were delayed by about 30 minutes on average and delays were expected to decrease, according to the FAA.
The ground stop followed a rough day at the airport on Monday, October 12, when more than 200 flights were delayed or canceled during various ground stops and delays due to weather.
A ground stop is an air traffic procedure requiring all aircraft to remain on the ground, frequently used when it is not safe for flights to take off or land. It is related to, but different from, a ground delay, under which flights destined for an airport experiencing adverse conditions must delay their takeoffs, according to the FAA. While the FAA can order ground stops and ground delays, it does not cancel flights; that is up to the airlines.
(Source: The Arizona Republic)
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
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