At Least 30 FAA Air Traffic Sites Have Been Hit By COVID-19

A recent photo of the air traffic control tower at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas, Nevada, where the FAA TRACON had personnel who tested positive for the coronavirus, one of at least 30 FAA ATC facilities so affected. Photo by chara_stagram/Shutterstock

The FAA is sharing with information with the public about which of its air traffic control facilities have been hit by coronavirus. The information on affected facilities can be found at the agency's new coronavirus site.

In a story last week, we mentioned that Houston's TRACON had been temporarily displaced after more than one worker had tested positive for the virus. The facility was temporarily relocated and sanitized before reopening.

While the FAA's site shows that 30 facilities, nine of them clustered around New York City, have been affected by "personnel" testing positive, several of those affected facilities have been hit by positive tests on more than one occasion. We have also heard reports of slowdowns in service at airports, Boise International, for instance, that aren't listed on the FAA's map of affected facilities. So it's impossible to say how many facilities in all have been affected or how many controllers have tested positive for the virus. We also have no information yet on how those controllers who did test positive are faring. There's also no specific information about how long any of the affected facilities were closed for, though the FAA is reporting that all are back up and operating.

We've reached out to the FAA for comment and will keep you updated as we learn more.

Plane & PilotStaff