MORRISVILLE, N.C. (WTVD) — Travelers at Raleigh-Durham International Airport faced widespread disruptions after an FAA ground stop led to delays and cancellations, including an international traveler whose flight to Rome, Italy, was canceled.
An RDU spokesperson told ABC!! that a contractor cut a fiber optic line near the FAA tower during a plumbing repair, leading to the outage. The tower was then operational again.
Bill Hunt of Cary said he was under pressure to find another way to reach Europe in time for an important business meeting scheduled for the next morning.
“It’s a disaster,” Hunt said.
After his flight was canceled, Hunt said he quickly worked to secure a seat on another international flight and arrange transportation to another airport.
“They had me take this flight to Charlotte. So I had to get there because I couldn’t fly from here to Charlotte because everything was canceled. So I had to get a ride, hitch a ride there,” Hunt said.
Other travelers at RDU also experienced delays in the afternoon due to the FAA ground stop.
John Haney, who was trying to return to Cincinnati, said his delay was manageable.
“It’s not what you want, but you know, it’s not two hours. It’s not three hours. So we’ll take it,” Haney said.
Airport operations have been significantly affected, with 212 delays reported at RDU Airport as of Monday afternoon. There were nine cancellations.
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