NewsAustin Airport flooding, Austin Airport news, Austin Airport Reopens Air control, Austin Airport Air Traffic Control reopens, Austin Air Control Tower Flooding
Nov 06, 2015 12:52 AM EST
The Austin-Bergstrom International Airport's air traffic control tower reopens the operation after the tower control area was flooded by the rainstorm that hit Texas. Federal Aviation Administration said repairs could take many weeks.
According to the Patch, on Wednesday announcement by the Federal Aviation Administration, the control tower had opened and repairs will take place as the tower suffered damage from the storms brought more than 16 inches of rain to the Austin, Texas area last Friday.
The flood on the 30th of October left major damage to the building and initial repairs might take many weeks for a complete restoration, the Federal Aviation Administration added. The management also said, the Technicians rerouted Austin's low-level radar data and radio frequencies to San Antonio during the last few days, and responsibility for the airspace was handed over at 10:25 p.m. Wednesday, the Dallas News reported.
The Professional Aviation Safety Specialists AFL-CIO, the main technical specialists union, told they have been working hard all day and night since the storm to deal with the flooding. Fortunately, the workers were able to shut down the facility as the area was flooded with 18 inches of water, the USA Today reported.
One member from the PASS and a systems specialist at the airport, Dan Rodriguez said, "When the water started to rise, we launched into action and focused on protecting the equipment. It was either turn off the power or let everything be completely destroyed."
The FAA also hopes they will be able to handle 90% of Austin's routine capacity within the next few days. Controllers won't be able to return to 100% of capacity until they return to the Austin tower, the "Traffic is moving at a reduced rate this morning due to thunderstorms in the Austin area. We expect additional delays might occur periodically throughout the day as storm cells move through the area." FAA explained.