A water pipe burst at the main control tower of Chicago O’Hare International Airport, one of the busiest airports in the United States, caused hundreds of flight delays on Tuesday. Following the incident, the tower was evacuated and air traffic was disrupted for hours.
A water pipe burst that occurred during the night at the main air traffic control tower of Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport negatively affected airport operations. The burst led to the evacuation of the tower shortly after 01:00, and flight operations were temporarily suspended.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced that the main control tower would remain closed throughout the day due to pipe repair works. During this period, the airport’s north and south towers were put into operation; however, it was reported that flight delays increased due to limited capacity.
According to FAA data, although delays gradually decreased throughout the day, disruptions affected the entire day. While the average delay time was around one hour in the morning hours, it was recorded that this duration fell to just over 20 minutes later in the day.
Passengers React
Lara Dyke, a passenger preparing to depart from Fort Myers, Florida, said they were informed of an approximately 50-minute delay through an announcement made on the aircraft. Stating that she understood the delay due to safety reasons, Dyke said:
“I think this was an attempt to take precautions. Water leaks are especially frightening in cold weather. I hope more importance will be given to preventive maintenance in the future.”
Jon Eis and his wife, who were planning to travel to Cancun, Mexico, to escape the cold weather, missed their flight due to the knock-on effect of the delays. Eis stated that delays starting in Green Bay caused them to miss their connecting flight at O’Hare.
“I ran all the way to the gate and thought I had made it, but the plane had already departed,” said Eis, adding that the next flight to Cancun would be on Wednesday, meaning they would have to spend the night in Chicago.
Extent of the Damage Under Investigation
While the scope of the damage at the control tower has not yet been clarified, the FAA announced that air traffic controllers are gradually returning to the tower. Officials stated that a technical assessment of the incident is ongoing and that the results of the investigation will be shared in the coming days.
