Technical issues with Federal Aviation Administration air traffic control were causing flight delays, diversions and cancellations at the Santa Barbara Airport on Tuesday, and were expected to continue on Wednesday.
“The FAA has issued a ground stop at Santa Barbara Airport due to a regional power outage. This outage is disrupting communications at the Air Traffic Control tower causing flights to be delayed and/or diverted. This is the same outage affecting 9-1-1 lines in the region,” airport officials said.
At least 15 arriving and departing flights had been canceled as of 9 p.m. Tuesday.
Airport officials advised passengers who may be affected to check directly with their airlines for current flight status.
Travelers can also visit the airport’s arrivals and departures page for updates.
There was no estimate given for when the issue might be resolved.
The FAA said flights heading to the Santa Barbara Airport were grounded due to an equipment outage.
Flights were expected to remain grounded until at least 6 a.m. Wednesday, and the “probability of extension” was between 30 and 60%, the FAA said.
San Luis Obispo Airport officials said Tuesday that their operations were briefly halted by a “complete power and communications outage at the Santa Barbara Air Traffic Control Tower and Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON), which manages airspace throughout the Santa Barbara, Santa Maria, and San Luis Obispo regions.”
Service resumed at the SLO Airport Tuesday afternoon, officials said.
“The Federal Aviation Administration has since confirmed that Los Angeles Center
has assumed responsibility for the affected airspace, allowing arrivals and departures at
SBP to proceed as normal,” said Courtney Johnson, the Director of Airports, in a statement.
The FAA technical issues causing delays and diversions at Santa Barbara Airport Tuesday were related to the countywide 9-1-1 phone outage.
Also on Tuesday, officials scrubbed a NASA mission rocket launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base due to FAA airspace concerns.