Early morning travelers at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport got an unwelcome surprise Tuesday when the Federal Aviation Administration briefly ordered a halt to departures, citing low clouds and sharply reduced visibility that made routine runway operations unsafe. Planes were stuck at gates, departure boards filled with delays, and the morning rush turned into a hurry-up-and-wait situation as airlines scrambled to reshuffle schedules and rebook passengers.
FAA issues ground stop
According to 12News, the FAA issued a ground stop for departures at Sky Harbor and said the restriction was expected to remain in place until at least 9:30 a.m. MST. The federal advisory pinned the hold on weather and low visibility across parts of the Valley.
What the FAA says
The FAA’s airport-status guidance explains that ground stops are used to keep flights at their departure airports until conditions improve and air traffic controllers can safely manage traffic into a specific field. It is a standard traffic management move…..