(KTLA) – A temporary ground stop triggered Sunday by a staffing shortage in Southern California’s airspace and affecting Los Angeles International Airport flights has been lifted, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
The restriction applied to flights departing from airspace managed by the Los Angeles and Oakland air traffic control centers that were scheduled to arrive at LAX, according to an FAA Air Traffic Control System Command Center advisory. The order went into effect around 8:27 a.m. local time and had been expected to run through 10 a.m., with a medium chance of extension.
Los Angeles World Airports confirmed a ground stoppage began around 8:45 a.m. and said passengers should check with their airlines for delays or cancellations. Airport officials said they could not immediately confirm whether staffing issues were the cause.Â
Oakland International Airport was also affected, LAWA said at the time.
An LAX spokesperson later confirmed the stoppage was lifted around 10:30 a.m. local time, saying it was caused by a staffing issue in Oakland, California.
The FAA reported more than 900 total delay minutes, with some flights waiting up to 87 minutes and average delays around 49 minutes.
The FAA said planes headed for Los Angeles were held at their originating airports. The hold did not appear to cause continuing problems at LAX; according to flight tracking website FlightAware, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport and Dallas Love Field Airport saw a much bigger share of late arrivals due to what the FAA said were weather and equipment issues.
The FAA issued the temporary ground stop at LAX, one of the world’s busiest airports, soon after U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy predicted that travelers would see more flights delayed and canceled in the coming days as the nation’s air traffic controllers work without pay during the federal government shutdown.
During an appearance on the Fox News program “Sunday Morning Futures,” Duffy said more controllers were calling in sick as money worries compound the stress of an already challenging job.
Too few air traffic controllers per shift also caused takeoff and arrival disruptions on Sunday at New Jersey’s Newark Liberty International Airport and Teterboro Airport, and at Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers, Florida, according to the FAA.
On Sunday evening, the FAA also slowed traffic into Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and Chicago O’Hare International Airport because of traffic controller staffing.
KTLA’s Lauren Lewis, Sofia Pop Perez and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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