One of, and by no means the only, impact of the Covid-19 disease and its rampage through the U.S. is the effect it’s having on essential workforces, like health care professionals. Its impact also has been felt among the ranks of air traffic controllers, who often work in close proximity to one another. To its credit, the FAA seems quick to react when indications of infected employees arise, and has summarily ceased operations at affected facilities with little warning. Among facilities impacted in late March and early April were the Chicago (Ill.) Midway International Airport and the Indianapolis Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC). The images below document others.
These kinds of disruptions have happened before, including in 2014, when a fire erupted in the Chicago ARTCC, putting the facility out of full-capacity operation for roughly three weeks. The good news is the FAA has detailed protocols for how controllers and adjacent facilities compensate, and how traffic is handled. For the most part, operations in airspace served by so-called “ATC-Zero” facilities continue, albeit with some caveats.
