AVIATION

18 April 2023: Across the U.S.

Southwest Airlines requested the FAA order a nationwide ground stop of all of the carrier’s flights on 18 April. The FAA lifted the ground stop at every airport except for Love Field in Dallas, Texas, after a few hours. The order wreaked havoc on Southwest’s scheduling, causing around 2,500 Southwest flights, 30 percent of the carrier’s schedule to be delayed, according to data from FlightAware. “Southwest has resumed operations after temporarily pausing flight activity this morning to work through data connection issues. We offer our heartfelt apologies to customers whose journey with us today might be delayed,” a statement release by the airline said.