Air traffic control services were reported back to normal in the vicinity of Texas’s Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, and notams advising of a ground delay program and other operational limitations were no longer in effect as of Nov. 16.
The service limitations had affected flights using Austin-Bergstrom and several nearby airports for more than two weeks after violent storms ravaged the region and floods damaged airport and ATC infrastructure.
The FAA issued an advisory on Nov.16 canceling the ground delay program.
Austin-Bergstrom’s control tower operations had been first to resume normal operations after only a few days with a temporary tower controlling local movements. Approach/departure control services came back on line more slowly as the FAA coped with technical issues encountered while providing the service remotely from two other ATC facilities.
Yasmina Platt, AOPA’s Central/Southwest regional manager, communicated with local pilots as the situation developed to ensure they were aware of the air traffic control limitations. AOPA and other aviation associations have also kept track of the operational impacts at the national level.
"The FAA has made a great effort to bring Austin’s air traffic facility back into operation as quickly as possible," said Rune Duke, AOPA director of government affairs for airspace and air traffic. "Throughout this whole unfortunate situation they have communicated the issue and worked with users to reduce delays."
