The airspace around Dallas-Fort Worth airport, one of the busiest in the country, was closed on Monday after a controller tested positive for Covid-19.
The airport’s Radar Approach Control Facility Terminal was cleaned up after a controller tested positive, the Federal Aviation Administration said. The center handles incoming and outgoing air traffic from the airport and others, and controllers were working on the DFW’s central tower, the agency said.
The FAA website listed a ground stop at around 6:30 pm, which was suspended about an hour and a half later, the airport said.
Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport warned that flights would be affected. An FAA website showed delays at the gate and in taxis of about an hour.
It is the second time in a week that Dallas area airports have been affected by a cleanup at an FAA facility after the Covid-19 cases. The previous case involved the Fort Worth Airway Traffic Control Center.
On Monday morning, flights were delayed at some Florida airports after an FAA facility near Jacksonville needed to be cleaned up after an employee tested positive for Covid, an agency spokesman said.
FAA’s Jacksonville Center resumed at 6 pm, but “implemented traffic management programs” as of 4:20 pm
Airports in Tampa, Palm beach and Jacksonville all tweeted notices of delays or cancellations due to the temporary closure of the air traffic control center.
The number of people flying in the United States increased during the holiday, although it remained far below normal.
More than 1.32 million people were screened on Sunday, according to figures from the Transport Security Administration’s checkpoints. That number is the highest in a day since March.
Health officials warned of a possible increase in coronavirus cases after vacation trips and meetings, and several states have reported cases of a variant of Covid-19 that is believed to be more transmissible and was first detected in the UK.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday announced a new national blockade in England, citing the new variant. The measures are similar to the blockade imposed last March and include asking the public to stay home and leave for limited reasons.
