On Friday, the two major Dallas airports–Dallas Fort Worth International and Dallas Love Field–experienced widespread delays and cancellations due to an equipment outage.
Now, we have an official explanation for the problems. A pair of fiber optic cable lines were accidentally cut which “impacted the primary and secondary paths of data, which support all of the area’s radars, radio frequencies and computer systems,” according to American Airlines Chief Operating Officer David Seymour.
The resulting outage caused over 600 cancellations or delays for flights out of Dallas Fort Worth alone, according to FlightAware. Including incoming flights, that figure increases to over 1,000.
A ground stop lasting several hours was also issued for both airports.
‘Outdated infrastructure’
A spokesperson for Dallas-based Frontier Communications confirmed in a statement that responsibility for the chaos was on his company’s end.
“On Friday afternoon, another carrier’s third-party contractor working in Argyle, Texas, accidentally cut our fiber lines,” the spokesperson said, via NBC5. “This interruption affected communication systems at the local airports. Our team worked overnight, closely coordinating with the FAA and the airports to stabilize the systems, and as a result the airports are up and running today.”
The Federal Aviation Administration had previously said the outage was “caused by multiple failures” due to the “outdated infrastructure” of Frontier’s TDMI data telecommunication operation.
Additionally, the FAA said the problem “underscores the urgent need to modernize our air traffic control systems.”
With many of the affected flights being from American Airlines, Seymour also weighed in with his frustrations against Frontier and its contractor, L3 Harris.
“In addition, we’ve all had a difficult time — including Robert and myself — reaching leadership at Frontier and L3 Harris. We are extraordinarily disappointed that neither provider seems to have any sense of urgency to resolve this matter,” Seymour said.
