Severe storm triggers hundreds of flight cancellations at busy Atlanta airport just as holiday travel cranks up
Hundreds of flights have been canceled at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport – the busiest airport in the world – after a severe storm overnight, just as a busy travel period ahead of the Fourth of July gets started.
Over 450 flights into and out of Atlanta were canceled as of early Saturday afternoon, according to FlightAware. Hundreds more were delayed.
Delta – which uses the Atlanta airport as its hub – is suffering the worst from cancellations, with 14% of the airline's total flights canceled, according to FlightAware.
'Severe weather overnight is causing delays and cancellations,' the airport said Saturday in a post on X,
Powerful winds in Atlanta prompted the evacuation of most air traffic controllers from the control tower Friday evening, according to CNN affiliate WANF, citing the Federal Aviation Administration. A small crew stayed to handle inbound planes, reported WANF.
Additionally, severe thunderstorms overnight brought quarter-inch hail to the city. More than 100 Delta aircraft require inspection before they're allowed to fly as a result, a Delta employee familiar with the situation told CNN as of late Friday evening.
Delta's maintenance team was working 'quickly through the backlog,' the Delta employee said.
There was also a ground stop in place Friday evening due to the severe weather, which limits inbound aircraft from taking off.
The mounting delays come as millions of people prepare to travel for the Fourth of July. The AAA estimates that 72.2 million people will travel at least 50 miles or more from home during the holiday period, starting from Saturday, June 28, until Sunday, July 6, with 5.84 million travelers expected to fly to their destinations.
The Atlanta airport expects to see 394,576 passengers over the holiday period, according to WANF.
The Hartsfield-Jackson airport served over 100 million passengers in 2024, making it busier than London's Heathrow or the Dubai International Airport.
CNN has reached out to the airport, Delta, and the FAA for more information.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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