Winter Storm Sparks 1,300 Flight Delays at Major Airport Amid 12 Inches of Snow
The Denver International Airport is one of the busiest hubs in the United States, handling about 2,000 flights every day. However, those traveling through the airport on Friday likely experienced some issues related to a significant snowstorm in the area.
This week, a significant snowstorm struck the Rockies, bringing up to 12 inches of snow to parts of the mountains. That snowstorm caused some significant issues for the Denver International Airport, resulting in over 1,300 flight delays.
Snowstorm Hits the Rockies
On Friday, a significant snowstorm struck the rockies after the Natioanl Weather Service (NWS) warned beforehand that the storm was expected to bring 6-14 inches of accumulation to the higher tarrian in the region.
The affected regions were expected to include Rocky Mountain National Park, the Medicine Bow Range, Summit County mountains, the Mosquito Range, the Indian Peaks, and surrounding high terrain, including major mountain passes such as Berthoud Pass, Cameron Pass, and the Eisenhower Tunnel.
“Total snow accumulations between 6 and 14 inches, with the heaviest snow expected from Rocky Mountain NP southward. Winds gusting as high as 40 mph,” the National Weather Service said in its forecast.
The NWS warned that “travel could be very difficult” in the affected regions as a result of the winter storm.
This same storm seems to have caused some severe issues for the Denver airport.
More Than 1,300 Flight Delays
Denver, which sits just outside of the Rockie Mountains, was hit with same winter storm, and it seems to have caused some significant issues for the Denver International Airport.
According to FlightAware, 1,349 flights were delayed and 171 were canceled at the airport as of 10 p.m. Friday. The affected flights were from Southwest Airlines, Frontier Airlines, SkyWest, American Airlines and United Airlines.
Given that the Denver International Airport typically handles anywhere from 1,700 to 2,000 flights on any given day, these delays were significant as it indicates that the majority of the flights through the airport experienced delays on Friday.
While the weather certainly played a role in the delays, a separate incident likely contributed, as well.
On Friday morning, one person was injured when a United Airlines flight hit a deicing truck at the airport.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), United flight 605 was exiting the deicing pad around 8:26 a.m. and struck a deicing truck. United Airlines said that an employee of the deicing contractor was taken to the hospital.