Chicago flights halted, plane slides off Kansas City taxiway

CHICAGO (AP) — The Federal Aviation Administration halted all flights in and out of Chicago’s O’Hare Airport for hours Friday night due to a sprawling winter storm, which forced the closure of schools, universities and government offices as it moved across large sections of the Midwest.

The FAA lifted the stop at 9:45 p.m., but by then hundreds of flights already were cancelled Friday at one of the nation’s busiest airports.

Earlier Friday, a plane slid off an icy taxiway at Kansas City International Airport. The Delta Air Lines flight was taxiing to be de-iced before flying to Detroit when the nosegear slipped off the taxiway, said Delta spokeswoman Martha Witt.

There were no reports of injuries aboard the Airbus A319, which was carrying 123 passengers and a crew of six.

Witt said the airline was trying to put passengers from Delta flight 1114 on other planes.

The airport was closed and numerous flights were cancelled in the morning but flights resumed about noon. Most Friday flights from Nashville, Tennessee, were cancelled, likely disrupting travel plans for fans of the Tennessee Titans flying into Kansas City for Sunday’s AFC championship game with the Chiefs, KCTV reported.

At 9:00 p.m., the Chicago Department of Aviation was reporting nearly 690 flights had been cancelled at O’Hare, with 169 flights cancelled at Midway, the city’s other international airport.

A winter weather advisory was issued for the Chicago area through early Saturday, with 2 to 5 inches of snow expected.

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