FIRST REPORT: A fire at Chicago O'Hare's air traffic control facility Friday grounded all flights for the day and evening to Chicago from Dayton International Airport.
The fire at the Chicago air traffic control center caused all flights to be grounded at O’Hare and Midway international airports.
Four flights bound for O’Hare were diverted to Dayton International Airport today, said Dayton’s Aviation Director Terry Slaybaugh.
At Dayton’s airport, three flights made it to Chicago before the airports shut down. But another eight were cancelled for the day, said airport spokeswoman Linda Hughes. The nonstop flights were on American Airlines and United Airlines.
As of 4 p.m. Friday, Hughes said, the airport was awaiting word on when flights to Chicago would be restored. “We’re still on a wait-and-see situation here,” Hughes said.
Most of the passengers flying to Chicago didn’t show up at the airport, she said, because the airlines sent out notifications via email and text message.
There is some possibility that flights could be restored by Saturday, Hughes added
Slaybaugh said the disruption was in the ACT Center, a control center that handles a large area of air space in Chicago and beyond. “Right now from my information, they are not moving aircraft in Chicago,” he said.
For now, travelers should continue to check with airlines. Travelers should also check on other options to get to destinations, Slaybaugh said.
To see a full list of flight statuses, visit the Dayton airport's website here.
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