Delta Atlanta Hailstorm
Delta Airlines had to ground 100 planes after a hailstorm hit Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson Airport on Friday night. The storm caused big problems for the flights.
The airline said most of those planes would be back by Saturday. Their tech crews worked overnight to inspect them. “Delta people are working as safely and quickly as possible to recover the flights impacted by thunderstorms, lightning, hail & winds at our Atlanta hub Friday night,” Delta told FOX Weather, according to the New York Post.
The storm caused trouble all around the airport. Winds got strong. Hail the size of a quarter fell. Flash floods followed. It all hit the country’s busiest airport. The Federal Aviation Administration FAA ordered a ground stop from 7:11 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Planes couldn’t land or take off during that time.
Delta had to redirect 90 flights to other airports across the Southeast. On Saturday, more than 380 flights were cancelled. Delays & more cancellations were expected. A spokesperson said, “Delta expects additional delays and cancellations as teams work to safely reset aircraft and flight crews complete required rest.”
The FAA also said it had to pull most of its air traffic controllers from the tower because of the winds. “Air traffic controllers have returned to the Atlanta control tower after the FAA evacuated most personnel due to strong winds,” the agency said. Only a few controllers stayed behind to handle incoming flights.
Tim Turner, a spokesperson for Hartsfield-Jackson, told FOX 5 Atlanta that just two air traffic controllers remained during the evacuation. They kept communications going with pilots and other airports.
The storm also caused flash floods in parts of Atlanta. Nearly an inch of rain fell in just one hour at the airport. Water built up fast. The National Weather Service said standing water shut down the northbound lanes of Interstate 75 near the airport.