DENVER (CBS4) – More than 460 flights at Denver International Airport were delayed and 10 were canceled on Monday, according to FlightAware.com. Denver airport officials initially said the delays were due to smoke and haze in the Denver metro area – and said most of the later delays were due to weather issues in other parts from the country.
FILE PHOTO – WITHOUT DATE (credit: iStock / Getty Images)
The delays in Denver were caused by planes having to be spaced apart due to visibility, according to Alex Renteria, the airport‘s public information officer.
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Renteria said a Federal Aviation Administration traffic management program was used to manage arriving flights. On Monday afternoon, Renteria clarified that the traffic management program only lasted from 8:46 a.m. to 9:11 a.m.
“The majority of our delays after this were / are due to weather conditions across the country,†Renteria explained.
There are two large wildfires in northwest Colorado – and dozens of active wildfires in California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana – but the smoke in the Denver metro area does not ‘is no worse than it has been, Altieri said.
Altieri checked the automated equipment at the Denver airport at 10:45 a.m. and it did not indicate any visibility issues that would hamper flights. The FAA website showed no issues for the DIA on Monday morning, and the National Weather Service was not aware of any issues with the smoke and haze.
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Altieri said the smoke is expected to worsen in the afternoon, but still would not be in the “red zone”.
Additional Resources
The FlightAware.com website continually tracks flight delays and cancellations at Denver International Airport, which carries the airport code DEN and is known to Colorado residents as DIA.
Get up-to-date information on DEN flights at flightaware.com.
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Visit the DIA website at flydenver.com.
