FAA outage leads to dozens of delays, grounded flights at RIC

RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) - A ground stop has now been lifted after several flights at Richmond international airport were grounded Sunday evening. This comes after equipment problems at an air traffic control facility in Potomac.

The FAA sent out a tweet Sunday evening saying it paused departures to several airports.

The Federal Aviation Administration sends out tweet to advise travelers of flight delays. — The Federal Aviation Administration sends out tweet to advise travelers of flight delays.(Federal Aviation Administration)

Now that the ground stop has been lifted, travelers are experiencing tons of delays. According to Flight Aware, Richmond International Airport saw 60 delays and 20 cancellations Sunday evening. The airport is now seeing less than a dozen delays and two cancellations.

Travelers may have to get used to delays as airlines rush to update equipment before July 1st. All airlines are required to make updates to avoid potential interference from 5-G wireless signals.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg warned that air travelers could face disruptions ahead of the deadline.

Starting on July 1, airplanes that have not gone through the necessary equipment changes will not be cleared for landing in certain weather conditions when visibility is low.

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