On Sunday, Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport faced significant disruptions, with over 300 flights canceled and numerous delays impacting travelers’ plans. The situation at the Northwest Side airport was part of a broader trend affecting air travel nationwide.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) attributed the delays to ongoing runway construction, which led to a ground delay lasting from 7:45 a.m. to 9:59 p.m. As of 4:11 p.m., O’Hare had seen 348 flight cancellations, with delays averaging around 53 minutes.
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The challenges at O’Hare were mirrored across the country, with over 2,100 flights canceled on Sunday. These disruptions were primarily due to the ongoing government shutdown, prompting the FAA to issue an order to reduce air traffic.
This marked the third consecutive day of slowdowns at 40 major U.S. airports, including O’Hare. The cumulative effect was significant, leading to more than 7,000 additional delays nationwide on Sunday alone, according to FlightAware, a platform that monitors air travel disruptions.
Adding to the complexity, a Winter Storm Warning was set to take effect in Cook County at 9 p.m., raising concerns that snow could further impact operations at O’Hare.
Snow could also become an issue at O’Hare, as a Winter Storm Warning is set to go into effect in Cook County at 9 p.m.
Parts of the Chicago area could see several inches of snow Sunday night into Monday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
