A major control tower at Chicago O’Hare International Airport has gone offline on Tuesday, triggering a wave of flight delays that are rippling across the US.
The outage has forced air traffic officials to implement a nationwide delay program that now includes 20 US airspace regions.
That means a significant portion of the country’s airspace is being impacted, with departures from multiple major airports experiencing delays.
Air traffic centers in regions including New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Washington DC, Houston, Miami, Denver and Seattle are among those listed as affected, according to official air traffic messages.
With the Chicago tower offline, flights are being held on the ground before takeoff, while air traffic control works to manage the backlog. Passengers at the airport should expect delays of around 60 minutes.
Passengers have reported long waits and sudden schedule changes, as airlines adjust departure times and reroute flights to minimize congestion.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has confirmed the issue is due to equipment failure, which has disrupted normal tower communications and operations.
However, a passenger on a flight to Chicago from New Mexico told CBS News that a pipe burst in the control tower sparked the tower closure.
The FAA reported that equipment failure caused the Chicago tower outage. Pictured is a line of people at O’Hare International Airport in November 2025
Flight tracking data shows dozens of planes grounded at Chicago O’Hare on Tuesday
More than 400 flights at O’Hare are experiencing a ground delay, while hundreds more nationwide have also been impacted.
The FAA alert noted that the delay program will remain until at least 8:59pm ET.
Officials reported that the main tower was evacuated following the pipe burst, allowing crews to repair the issue and assess the damage.
Airport staff were moved to the North and South towers to resume work and make up for the lost air traffic control capabilities, CBS News reported.
O’Hare has had several control towers, with the current main tower built around 1970 to 1971, and the second in 2008.
The FAA currently shows departure delays at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport and Miami International.
The agency noted that some flights may still be delayed due to metering into Seattle (SEA). However, conditions were improving, so delays should decrease.
