Rough67
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http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/26/travel/chicago-ohare-midway-flights-stopped/index.html?c=homepage-t
CNN) - A contract employee at a Chicago-area air traffic control center apparently set a fire and tried to kill himself, officials said Friday, shutting the facility and stopping all flights at the world's second-busiest airport.
The bizarre situation has resulted in a "ground stop," triggering the cancellation of more than 700 flights at O'Hare International Airport and more than 150 at nearby Midway Airport, according to the Chicago Department of Aviation. Flights to and from the Chicago area won't resume until at least 1 p.m. CT (2 p.m. ET), the FAA website says.
The employee was being treated after suffering self-inflicted wounds, and police said the incident wasn't related to terrorism. A 50-year-old man at the FAA facility, which controls air traffic for a giant swath of the Midwest, was treated for smoke inhalation, authorities said. Investigators with the FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were on the scene.
The stoppages have the potential to create a nightmare ripple effect for travelers flying to O'Hare, which serves more than 1,000 flights each day. Last year, it handled 883,000 takeoffs and landings, ranking it as the second-busiest airport on the planet, according to Airports Council International.
The closure affected so many flights because the center controls planes not just flying in and out of Chicago, but also those flying long-distance routes to other regions, raising the potential for thousands of flight delays nationwide.
It lit up social media with complaints by travelers like @JoeMFox who tweeted, "I'm starting to consider whether a five-hour drive would get me there faster than United. #ohare"
In a typical backup plan for a disabled FAA center, the FAA could assign air traffic control authority to FAA centers in other cities, such as Indianapolis, Cleveland, Minneapolis or Kansas City. The O'Hare ground stop has potential repercussions for flights approaching Chicago from across the Atlantic or Pacific. For those airliners, limited fuel would be a concern, as they near the end of their long-distance routes. They could be redirected to other airports.
The stoppages have the potential to create a nightmare ripple effect for travelers flying to O'Hare, which serves more than 1,000 flights each day. Last year, it handled 883,000 takeoffs and landings, ranking it as the second-busiest airport on the planet, according to Airports Council International.
The closure affected so many flights because the center controls planes not just flying in and out of Chicago, but also those flying long-distance routes to other regions, raising the potential for thousands of flight delays nationwide.
It lit up social media with complaints by travelers like @JoeMFox who tweeted, "I'm starting to consider whether a five-hour drive would get me there faster than United. #ohare"
In a typical backup plan for a disabled FAA center, the FAA could assign air traffic control authority to FAA centers in other cities, such as Indianapolis, Cleveland, Minneapolis or Kansas City. The O'Hare ground stop has potential repercussions for flights approaching Chicago from across the Atlantic or Pacific. For those airliners, limited fuel would be a concern, as they near the end of their long-distance routes. They could be redirected to other airports.
Union spokesman Doug Church said air traffic controllers are bracing for a tough day. "Indianapolis Center is one of the major facilities bearing the brunt of the extra workload today due to the Chicago Center situation," Church said. "They are doing what they can to support."
Responders at the FAA Center, which is in Aurora, Illinois, found a person suffering from cuts to at least one wrist, two law enforcement officials told CNN, citing initial reports from investigators.
The fire closed the control center around 5:42 a.m.
CNN) - A contract employee at a Chicago-area air traffic control center apparently set a fire and tried to kill himself, officials said Friday, shutting the facility and stopping all flights at the world's second-busiest airport.
The bizarre situation has resulted in a "ground stop," triggering the cancellation of more than 700 flights at O'Hare International Airport and more than 150 at nearby Midway Airport, according to the Chicago Department of Aviation. Flights to and from the Chicago area won't resume until at least 1 p.m. CT (2 p.m. ET), the FAA website says.
The employee was being treated after suffering self-inflicted wounds, and police said the incident wasn't related to terrorism. A 50-year-old man at the FAA facility, which controls air traffic for a giant swath of the Midwest, was treated for smoke inhalation, authorities said. Investigators with the FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were on the scene.
The stoppages have the potential to create a nightmare ripple effect for travelers flying to O'Hare, which serves more than 1,000 flights each day. Last year, it handled 883,000 takeoffs and landings, ranking it as the second-busiest airport on the planet, according to Airports Council International.
The closure affected so many flights because the center controls planes not just flying in and out of Chicago, but also those flying long-distance routes to other regions, raising the potential for thousands of flight delays nationwide.
It lit up social media with complaints by travelers like @JoeMFox who tweeted, "I'm starting to consider whether a five-hour drive would get me there faster than United. #ohare"
In a typical backup plan for a disabled FAA center, the FAA could assign air traffic control authority to FAA centers in other cities, such as Indianapolis, Cleveland, Minneapolis or Kansas City. The O'Hare ground stop has potential repercussions for flights approaching Chicago from across the Atlantic or Pacific. For those airliners, limited fuel would be a concern, as they near the end of their long-distance routes. They could be redirected to other airports.
The stoppages have the potential to create a nightmare ripple effect for travelers flying to O'Hare, which serves more than 1,000 flights each day. Last year, it handled 883,000 takeoffs and landings, ranking it as the second-busiest airport on the planet, according to Airports Council International.
The closure affected so many flights because the center controls planes not just flying in and out of Chicago, but also those flying long-distance routes to other regions, raising the potential for thousands of flight delays nationwide.
It lit up social media with complaints by travelers like @JoeMFox who tweeted, "I'm starting to consider whether a five-hour drive would get me there faster than United. #ohare"
In a typical backup plan for a disabled FAA center, the FAA could assign air traffic control authority to FAA centers in other cities, such as Indianapolis, Cleveland, Minneapolis or Kansas City. The O'Hare ground stop has potential repercussions for flights approaching Chicago from across the Atlantic or Pacific. For those airliners, limited fuel would be a concern, as they near the end of their long-distance routes. They could be redirected to other airports.
Union spokesman Doug Church said air traffic controllers are bracing for a tough day. "Indianapolis Center is one of the major facilities bearing the brunt of the extra workload today due to the Chicago Center situation," Church said. "They are doing what they can to support."
Responders at the FAA Center, which is in Aurora, Illinois, found a person suffering from cuts to at least one wrist, two law enforcement officials told CNN, citing initial reports from investigators.
The fire closed the control center around 5:42 a.m.
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