Flight cancellations, delays caused by deep cleaning at FAA Jacksonville control center

JACKSONVILLE, Florida. – The day after someone at the Jacksonville Air Traffic Control Center in Hilliard tested positive for COVID-19, News4Jax learned that the center closed on Monday night for cleaning.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the closure was from 16:30 to 18:00. The aircraft were routed into airspace or handled by underlying facilities.

A tweet from Jacksonville International Airport warned passengers that the closure “can cause major delays and / or cancellations. Travelers should check with their airline. “

News4Jax aviation expert Ed Booth called the closure “totally unprecedented”.

“It’s been open for 80 years,” said Booth. “And as far as I can tell, and I’ve been flying around here for 43 years, it hasn’t closed in 80 years. So this is a historic event. “

An FAA spokesman said the Hilliard facility covers Panhandle flights to Jacksonville, Orlando and Tampa. It also covers flights in southeastern Georgia and South Carolina.

At about 5 pm on JAX, Callie Frances and Henry White were trying to fly back to Nashville, Tennessee. They checked the flight information online before arriving and everything seemed OK, but things changed when they arrived at the airport.

“The lady at the counter said we have to make a new reservation,” said White. “We are rescheduled for tomorrow. We are here tonight. “

“Very frustrating,” said Frances. “I have work tomorrow and that changes some of our plans.”

Louise Avery was trying to get back to Kansas City.

“They told us that we would be stuck here until morning,” said Avery.

According to George Winterling, retired chief meteorologist at the News4Jax Weather Authority, the air traffic control center opened in December 1941 at Imeson Field – also known as Jacksonville Imeson Airport. In February 1961, the air traffic control center moved to Hilliard. Winterling worked at Imeson Terminal with the US Weather Bureau for five years before joining WJXT in 1962.

In addition to Sunday, the FAA said it learned of employees who work at the facility with a positive test on June 22, 25, 26, 8 July, 9 September, 21, 22, 19 November, 28 and 17 December.