The airspace around Dallas-Fort Worth Airport, one of the busiest states, was closed Monday after a controller tested positive for Covid-19.
The airport’s Terminal Radar Approach Control Facility was cleared after a controller tested positive, the Federal Aviation Administration said. The center handles incoming and outgoing air traffic at the airport and others, and controllers there were working out of the DFW’s center tower, the agency said.
The FAA’s website listed a ground stop around 6:30 p.m., and it was lifted about an hour and a half later, the airport said.
Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport has warned that flights will be affected. An FAA website showed delayed gate and taxi delays of about an hour.
This is the second time in a week that Dallas airports in the vicinity of Covid-19 have been affected by cleaning at an FAA facility. The previous case involved the Fort Worth Traffic Control Center.
Earlier Monday, flights at some Florida airports were delayed after an FAA facility near Jacksonville had to be cleared after an employee tested positive for Covid, an agency spokesman said.
The FAA’s Jacksonville Center was back in operation at 6 p.m., but it “implemented traffic management programs” from 4:20 p.m.
Airports in Tampa, Palm beach and Jacksonville all tweeted warnings of delays or cancellations due to the temporary closure of the air traffic center.
The number of people flying in the US increased during the holidays, although it remained well below normal years.
According to the checkpoint numbers of the transport safety administration, more than 1.32 million people were selected on Sunday. The number is the highest in a day since March.
Health officials have warned of a possible increase in coronavirus cases after holiday trips and gatherings, and several states have reported cases of a Covid-19 variant that is believed to be more transmissible and first detected in the UK.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday announced a new national exclusion in England, citing the new variant. The measures are similar to the exclusion imposed in March last year, and include the request that the public should stay home and leave for limited reasons.
