Denvar Airport: Denver International Airport (DIA) faced significant travel disruptions Thursday due to heavy snowfall affecting the Denver metro area and Colorado’s eastern plains. As a result, over 900 flights were delayed, and several others were canceled, with more winter weather expected to continue impacting the airport into the weekend.
According to FlightAware, 972 flights were delayed and 9 canceled at DIA as of 10 p.m. on Thursday. United Airlines, SkyWest, and Southwest Airlines reported the highest number of delays, with United seeing 268 delays, SkyWest 229, and Southwest 203. The disruptions were compounded by de-icing operations and one runway closure for treatment and cleaning, as airport officials worked to keep the planes operational amidst the storm.
The winter storm, which started earlier this week, caused heavier snowfall throughout the day, particularly south and east of Denver near the Palmer Divide. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) also issued a traffic management program to help manage the flow of flights into and out of DIA. This program may lead to some additional delays for arriving flights and could affect the departure schedules for others.
As of 5:45 p.m., DIA had recorded 837 delayed flights and nine cancellations. While the airport has worked to minimize disruptions, officials reminded travelers that the weather could cause significant delays, particularly for incoming flights.
In addition to the delays, Denver residents were warned that the winter storm would continue to intensify over the next couple of days, with another system expected to bring up to six inches of snow on Friday and Saturday.
DIA recommends that travelers check real-time flight status and security wait times via FlyDenver.com and reminds passengers that de-icing procedures can add an additional 15 to 20 minutes to travel times.
