Friday evening storms brought heavy downpours, strong winds and hail to parts of the metro area — and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport was still experiencing the effects over the weekend.
The Federal Aviation Administration did not report any ongoing delays as of 5 p.m. Saturday, but nearly 500 flights had been canceled. On Friday, 905 flights were delayed and 399 were canceled.
As of early Sunday afternoon, nearly 60 flights coming into and out of the airport had been canceled and more than 300 were delayed, according to FlightAware.com.
“Operations are stable. Customers should use the Fly Delta app for an optimal travel experience including check-in, seat selection and the latest information regarding their flight,” Delta spokesperson Morgan Durrant told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Sunday.
On Saturday, Delta spokesperson Erica Hutlas confirmed to the AJC that additional delays and cancellations were expected that day as workers reset aircraft and flight crews took required rest periods.
“Delta people are working as safely and quickly as possible to recover flights impacted by thunderstorms, lightning, hail and winds at our Atlanta hub Friday night. We thank our customers for their continued patience and understanding,” Hutlas said.
About 100 aircraft were inspected overnight by Delta technicians because of storm impacts, and officials said nearly all of them are returning to service Saturday.
Later Saturday, Delta Chief Customer Experience Officer Erik Snell apologized for the inconvenience in a message to customers.
“We sincerely appreciate your patience as we restore operations,” Snell added.
The impacts came as Hartsfield-Jackson braced for more than 4 million passengers between Thursday and July 7. Friday was anticipated to be the busiest day, with nearly 400,000 passengers projected, according to a news release.
The storms entered metro Atlanta around 6 p.m. Friday, prompting widespread severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings.
Intense downpours brought strong winds and quarter-inch hail to the Atlanta airport, forcing more than 90 diversions to other airports in the Southeast and a temporary pause in airport operations.
The FAA confirmed that strong winds required the evacuation of the air traffic control tower at Hartsfield-Jackson around 10:30 p.m. Friday. A ground stop had also been issued around 9 p.m.
Other delays from the stormy weather occurred at Truist Park. An Atlanta Braves game against the Philadelphia Phillies was delayed by more than two hours.
And the NASCAR Infinity race at EchoPark Speedway, formerly known as Atlanta Motor Speedway, was delayed by just over an hour in Hampton.
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