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Delta Air Lines set to inspect over 100 aircraft after severe storms hit Atlanta airport
Delta Air Lines will inspect over 100 aircraft after severe weather caused major disruptions.
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Delta Air Lines is set to conduct inspections for more than 100 aircraft after severe weather in the Atlanta region has caused major problems for the company. On Friday night, storms brought quarter-inch hail to the region, according to a WRDW report. During the storm, the affected planes of the airline remained grounded. Now, the airline needs to inspect its aircraft before it goes ahead with its scheduled journeys.
An employee from Delta Air Lines, headquartered in Atlanta, informed that the firm’s maintenance teams were working swiftly through the backlog.
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What happened to Delta Air Lines amid severe storms?
On Friday, operations at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, one of the busiest around the world, were severely disrupted after the region was hit by thunderstorms. This led to the temporary evacuation of the air traffic control tower.
FlightAware, a flight tracking platform, highlighted over 1,000 delays and more than 170 cancellations at the Atlanta airport by Friday evening. The airport witnessed the flight delays and cancellations during the key travel weekends of the summer, FOX 5 Atlanta reported.
Thousands of passengers were looking forward to the Fourth of July holiday. However, a flash flood warning was issued in parts of Atlanta. Departures were delayed by 16 to 30 minutes and were increasing by late in the evening, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said.
Meanwhile, arrivals were delayed by an average of 1 hour and 15 minutes at one point. All inbound flights to Atlanta remained grounded at their departure airports until at least 12 AM EDT on Saturday, officials said. Due to strong winds, personnel were evacuated from the control tower at the airport, the FAA noted.
Statement from authorities
A statement from the agency said, "Air traffic controllers have returned to the Atlanta control tower after the FAA evacuated most personnel due to strong winds... A few controllers remained in the facility to handle inbound aircraft."
Tim Turner, a spokesperson for the airport, said that only two controllers were present in the tower to maintain communication, while all others were safely evacuated. Later on, the tower resumed operations as normal.
Delta Air Lines operates more than 900 flights on a daily basis from Atlanta. It stated that over 90 of them were diverted due to lightning and high winds.
FAQs
1. Are Delta Air Lines’ operations back to normal on Saturday?
The airline has warned that delays and cancellations could continue into Saturday morning amid aircraft repositioning.
2. How many flights were affected due to the storm in Atlanta?
FlightAware reported more than 1,000 delays and over 170 cancellations at the airport by Friday evening.
3. What should passengers do next?
Travelers are advised to check the FAA's airspace status page and get in touch with the airline for real-time updates.
