Equipment Outage
Delays caused by failure or maintenance of critical airport or air traffic control equipment.
What is Equipment Outage?
Equipment outages occur when essential airport or ATC systems fail or require emergency maintenance. This includes radar systems, navigation aids, communication equipment, runway lighting, and other infrastructure critical to safe flight operations. Depending on what equipment is affected and backup systems available, outages can reduce airport capacity or halt operations entirely until repairs are complete.
Common Causes
- Radar system failures
- Navigation aid malfunctions
- Communication system issues
- Runway lighting failures
- Computer or automation system outages
Impact & Duration
Impact Level
Medium to Critical - Depends on affected system and available backups
Typical Duration
30 minutes to several hours depending on the issue
Frequently Asked Questions
What equipment failures cause the worst delays?
Radar outages and primary communication failures typically cause the most significant delays, as they affect the ability to track and communicate with multiple aircraft simultaneously.
Do airports have backup systems?
Yes, most critical systems have redundancy. However, switching to backup systems may reduce capacity, and some failures may still require temporary operational restrictions while maintenance is performed.
Check for Active Delays
See if any airports currently have this type of delay active.
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