More than 400 flights delayed at DIA by weather as officials prepare for busy holiday weekend
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Nearly 400 flights were delayed and more than 91 had been canceled at Denver International Airport on Thursday because of weather.
Late Thursday morning, storms forced the airport to halt all inbound flights from landing and a hold was put in place shortly after 11 a.m., said Alex Renteria, a spokesperson for the airport.
As of 1:30 p.m., 441 were flights were delayed and 91 scuttled, according to the website Flight Aware.
Zach Hiris, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Boulder, said wind speeds around the airport were consistently higher than 40 mph and a storm system was impacting the airport about 2 p.m.
Although the storm is expected to end around 2:30 p.m., Hiris said there is a chance for scattered and isolated storms at the airport and around the metro area throughout the night.
“We’re asking customers to check the flight status before coming to the airport because right now we’re at the mercy of the weather,” Renteria said.
Aside from accommodating the thousands of guests stuck inside the airport, officials are preparing for what is expected to be the busiest weekend since the pandemic.
Beginning Thursday and through Tuesday, airport officials estimate 1.26 million passengers to go through security at DIA, a 153% increase compared to last year and a 2% increase from 2019, Renteria said.
Saturday and Monday are projected to be the busiest of the July 4 period where more than 200,000 people are estimated to pass through security.
The number of travelers across the country has been steadily increasing as more people get vaccinated and COVID-19 numbers continue to decline, and that’s no different at DIA.
“The past seven weeks have been the busiest seven weeks since the pandemic,” Renteria said. “For each month in 2021, our traffic continues to show improved recovery versus 2019.”
Because of the influx of projected people this weekend, airport officials are urging travelers to arrive two hours ahead of their scheduled departure to get through security. Also, masks continue to be mandatory inside the airport.
