Flights Resume in Detroit After 14-Hour Shutdown
ROMULUS, Mich. (CBS Detroit/ AP) - Detroit Metropolitan Airport has reopened after icy weather prompted officials to shut down flights for about 14 hours amid freezing rain.
Detroit Metropolitan Airport is now open. At this time, one runway, the surrounding taxiways & deice pads are operating. Maintenance crews will continue working hard to reopen the rest of the airfield. Customers are still encouraged to check with their airline for flight status.
— DTW Airport (@DTWeetin) January 23, 2019
A statement from Detroit Metropolitan Airport in Romulus says it reopened midmorning Wednesday after being closed about 8 p.m. Tuesday. The Federal Aviation Administration says some arriving flights are expected to be delayed an average of 5 hours.
The shutdown stranded travelers, with dozens of flights Tuesday night and more Wednesday canceled or delayed.
A second runway is now open following the closure of #DTW! #update
— DTW Airport (@DTWeetin) January 23, 2019
Maintenance crews had been treating taxiways and runways at the airport leading up to the shutdown, but deicing fluid became diluted and ineffective. The airport says one runway reopened to start and others would be open later.
Icy roadways led to crashes. Hundreds of Michigan schools closed Wednesday, including Western Michigan University and Kalamazoo College.
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