Wild weather impacted hundreds of flights yesterday at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) as severe storms moved through the area. The world’s busiest airport was hit by a hailstorm as during the severe weather event which will require inspections of more than 100 Delta Air Lines aircraft.
More than 100 Delta Planes Require Inspection After a Hailstorm in Atlanta
On Friday evening a severe storm hit the Atlanta Airport which forced over 100 inbound flights to divert to other airports. A ground stop was in effect at the airport between 7:11p and 8:30p local time. The FAA also had to evacuate personnel from the control tower in Atlanta due to high winds.
Unfortunately for the aircraft on the ground, hail was present in the storm cell which caused more than 100 Delta planes to be pulled from service for damage inspections. In a statement, Delta said that employees “Are working as safely and quickly as possible to recover flights impacted by thunderstorms, lightning, hail and winds at our Atlanta hub Friday night. We thank our customers for their continued patience and understanding.”
The airline expects that the majority of the aircraft will be inspected and returned to service on Saturday.
Delta Forced to Cancel Roughly 400 Flights on Saturday
As a result of the severe weather in Atlanta on Friday, Delta was forced to cancel roughly 400 flights on Saturday as it works to inspect aircraft and recover operations. Between the hail inspections, diversions, and crew being displaced, the carrier has quite a bit of work ahead of it in order to get back up and running.
Fortunately, the airline appears to be getting back up to speed quickly but, I would expect to see lingering delays and cancellations into Sunday.
Delta operates its largest hub at the world’s busiest airport in Atlanta and thankfully has the facilities to handle a large number of aircraft. The same can’t be said for other carriers unfortunately.
According to FlightRadar24, multiple aircraft were stuck waiting for gates after the ground stop yesterday including a Frontier Airlines flight that sat on the tarmac for more than four hours before passengers were allowed to deplane.
Summary
Delta Air Lines is working to return more than 100 planes to service after severe weather hit Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) on Friday night. Hail was reported on the ground causing planes to be removed from service for inspections.
According to Delta, it expects to return most of the aircraft to service today, though cancellations and delays will likely persist through the weekend.