Major airport has HUNDREDS of flights delayed – as officials reveal chilling possible reason
A possible cyberattack caused massive delays at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport early Saturday morning. Passengers were asked to contact their airline for information.
As of 8 p.m. Saturday, air traffic was still disrupted, with 247 flights delayed and six flights canceled, FlightAware reported.
Earlier in the day, the airport warned travelers X.com that there were “Internet and web system outages” that began early Saturday morning may have been the result of a cyberattack on the Port of Seattle, including Sea-Tac Airport.
In the social media post, authorities said:The port has isolated critical systems and is in the process of restoring full service.’
The ‘departures’ flight information board listed all cancelled and delayed flights
Hundreds of travelers were stranded at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on Saturday afternoon due to flight delays and cancellations over possible cyberattacks.
The flight information board listed several flights that had been canceled due to the outage, including: Chicago, Denver, Raleigh-Durham, Dallas, Toronto, Charlotte, Miami, Boston, Philadelphia, Montreal, Atlanta, St. Louis and Houston.
Flights with significant delays included Fort Lauderdale, Orlando and Tampa.
Officials kept those affected informed through regular updates.
“We are working closely with relevant authorities and partners to assist travellers who may be affected,” they said.
They gave the following advice: ‘If you are travelling today, please contact our airline partners for travel information and please be aware that you will need extra time to get to SEA and your gate.’
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) ranks 8th among U.S. airports for passenger operations and 21st for air cargo
The airport covers 2,500 acres and has three parallel runways. It is the primary international airport serving Seattle and the Washington metropolitan area.
Officials said the extent of the cyberattack on the Port of Seattle has not yet been disclosed, nor when systems will be fully functional again, the Lynwood Times.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) released the following statement to King 5 News.
“TSA is aware of the Port of Seattle’s internet connectivity outage and is working with our partners at the port,” the statement said.
“There is no impact to TSA’s security operations and TSA continues to screen passengers using its robust procedures. Passengers should contact their airline for information regarding their flights.”