FAA ground stops at Dallas airports tied to local phone-line issue

Dallas — The Federal Aviation Administration ordered ground stops at Dallas Love Field and Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport Friday afternoon after a local telephone-company equipment issue disrupted communications and slowed air traffic, delaying more than 300 flights across the two airports. The agency said the problem does not involve FAA equipment and is being investigated in coordination with the local carrier. Ground stops were imposed to manage the disruption, and officials cautioned that delays could persist for several hours as technicians work to restore normal operations.

The FAA said it is working with the local telephone company to determine the cause of the outage and to restore service as quickly as possible. The disruption comes as the Dallas area, a major travel hub for Texas, continues to contend with heavy traffic and, at times, weather conditions that can compound delays. The agency noted that the ground stops were a precaution while communications and traffic management systems were stabilized.

The episode adds to a broader pattern of FAA technology and communications issues this year. On Thursday, flights into Denver International Airport were slowed after automation problems between an approach-control tower and Denver ATC necessitated manual handoffs, delaying some flights by 30 to 45 minutes. In July, Congress approved an initial $12.5 billion in funding to overhaul the aging air-traffic-control network, a priority FAA leaders say is needed to address recurring tech problems as modernization proceeds.

Travelers at Dallas Love Field and DFW faced flight cancellations, gate changes, and long lines as operations were paused. American Airlines, which operates a large hub at DFW, said the disruption affected schedules across its network and urged passengers to check with their flights and be prepared for delays. Officials stressed that the situation remains fluid while the telecom issue is investigated before traffic flow can return to normal.

The Dallas episode underscores ongoing concerns about the U.S. air-traffic system, which has faced a string of high-profile mishaps, near-misses, and staffing strains in recent years. The system was already under scrutiny after a January crash involving a U.S. Army helicopter and a regional American Airlines jet that killed 67 people, a loss that has heightened calls for rapid modernization. As authorities coordinate with the telecom provider and work to restore full operations, travelers are urged to monitor flight statuses and heed airline guidance for rescheduling where needed.

The FAA and airline stakeholders say modernization efforts remain ongoing even as incidents like Friday’s outage highlight the delicate balance between infrastructure upgrades and day-to-day operations for a system that handles hundreds of thousands of flights each year.