Dallas-area telecom outage grounds flights, triggering mass cancellations and worldwide travel disruption

A telecommunications outage in the Dallas–Fort Worth area disrupted air-traffic communications and check-in systems, prompting a ground stop at Dallas-area airports on Friday that produced hundreds of cancellations and delays.

The disruption struck Dallas Fort Worth International and Dallas Love Field, with FlightAware data showing more than 430 cancellations and 580 delays at DFW on Friday, plus about 190 delays at Love Field. By Saturday morning, the impact lingered, with more than 70 flights delayed and 40 canceled across both airports as airlines and the FAA worked to restore systems.

Across the United States, the ripple effects extended well beyond the Dallas area. FlightAware reported more than 9,000 flight delays worldwide overnight, including about 640 delays into or out of the United States, along with 382 cancellations, 181 of them affecting U.S.-bound flights. The FAA attributed the outage to a local telecommunications provider equipment issue and said there were no active ground stops as of Saturday morning at the Dallas facilities, with operations gradually resuming.

Passengers and crews described long waits and mounting frustrations at the terminals. Don and Maria Miller, who spoke with local media after spending hours at DFW, said they endured an 18-hour ordeal without a clear path to rebooking. Others vented on social media, with travelers calling the situation a “nightmare to all” and lamenting missed connections and crowded aisles as delays stretched into the evening.

The disruption also prompted widespread travel advisories. American Airlines issued a travel alert for all passengers flying to and from Dallas as the carrier sought to rebook customers and reroute flights where possible. Travelers in Kansas City and other cities reported delays and cancellations as carriers tried to pivot to different gateways to recover schedules.

Internationally, the situation resonated in Europe, where a cyberattack that affected check-in and boarding systems forced lines to stretch for hours at several airports. Heathrow, Brussels, and other hubs faced delays in processing passengers, while airlines and airport operators reported they were temporarily returning to manual check-in procedures. Collins Aerospace, a major service provider for airlines, was among those impacted by the attack.

Audio captured by LiveATC.net from air-traffic controllers in the Dallas area reflected the severity of the outage. One controller said, “We’ve lost all radar and phone communications.” Another noted, “I’m not departing anybody until we can get a system setup. We have no coms with approach right now.” A colleague added, “I think the entire Metroplex just went down.”

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz said his office was monitoring the situation and coordinating with the FAA as authorities worked to restore services and minimize further disruptions.

Travelers were urged to monitor airline and airport status and anticipate continued delays as operations normalized. While some flights resumed on Saturday, officials warned that passengers should expect a gradual return to full service and that disruptions could persist into the weekend as the system operators work through the backlog and verify communications and navigation data.