Mitchell flights affected by O'Hare, Midway closures

(CNN) -- All Chicago air traffic was stopped early Friday morning because of a fire at a Federal Aviation Administration air traffic control facility, an FAA spokeswoman said -- causing flight delays around the nation.


Flights in and out of Chicago's O'Hare International and Midway airports were stopped after the FAA reported a fire at its traffic control facility in the western Chicago suburb of Aurora at about 6 a.m. CT (7 a.m. ET), the Chicago Department of Aviation said.


The stoppage had ripple effects at airports around the country.


\"Anything (that was bound for Chicago) that is still on the ground in its originating city is holding there,\" American Airlines spokeswoman Leslie Scott said. \"Anything in the air has the possibility of being diverted. And anything on the ground in Chicago will stay there.\"


The numbers of flights and passengers affected by the stoppage weren't available.


One person was injured in the Aurora facility fire, FAA spokeswoman Elizabeth Isham Cory said. urther details about the fire weren't available.


 

Flights in and out of General Mitchell International Airport are being affected by the emergency. An airport spokeswoman says passengers can track their flight status in real-time by visiting the departures and arrivals section of the Mitchell airport website.

 

As of late Friday afternoon, both Delta and Southwest departing flights out of Mitchell International were canceled for the remainder of the day.

 

 

Share this article: