Equipment problems caused ground delays and cancellations at Chicago's airports Monday.
Around 100 flights were canceled at O'Hare International Airport and 60 minute delays were reported at 8:30 p.m. No flights were canceled at Midway, but 30 minute delays were reported Monday evening.
The FAA said departures were briefly delayed for flights headed to the Chicago airports from Canadian and midwestern airports because of problems with several phone lines between the Chicago Terminal Radar Approach Control facility in Elgin, IL and the FAA’s adjoining en route centers.
The problem was resolved, and the delay restrictions awere lifted at 4:50 p.m., 43 minutes after they were put in place.
O'Hare traffic was further complicated when the Chicago Fire Department called a Hazmat situation after a woman on an incoming United flight became sick. The situation was elevated because officials didn't have any information about the patient's symptoms, and are being extra careful because of Ebola.
The woman was transported to a local hospital and the rest of the passengers continued on to San Francisco.
Naperville resident Brian Howard is accused of using 4 gallons of gasoline to set fire to the Aurora facility, which now is being rewired with miles of new cable.
Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Lynn Lunsford said Sunday that the number of arrivals and departures at O'Hare and Midway international airports were almost 95 percent of the two-month average for a Sunday.
The head of the FAA said Friday that everything is on target to restore air traffic back to normal conditions at Chicago's airports by Oct. 13. Michael Huerta toured the facility and met with Illinois' congressional delegation, including Sen. Dick Durbin, Sen. Mark Kirk and Rep. Bill Foster.
