"Hundreds" of air travelers impacted by weather-related delays and cancellations at Fargo's Hector International Airport

Image by WDAY News Staff
Image by WDAY News Staff

(Fargo, ND) -- Snowy weather over the past several days caused issues for air travelers at Fargo's Hector International Airport. 

"We weren't immune to it. We had a number of flights that were canceled last week and of course a number that were significantly delayed and or then later canceled because of various reasons whether it was the rate of snowfall, like on Christmas day which I think turned out to be one of the busier days of the year for us. You know it was snowing at a rate that they couldn't de-ice near the gate area. They had to be escorted out towards the end of the airfield," said Fargo Airport Authority Executive Director Shawn Dobberstein.

Dobberstein says "hundreds" of travelers were impacted by weather-related cancelations and delays at the airport.  

"We never closed the airport. We did drop below minimums a few times, which aircraft need a half mile to land and a quarter mile to take off, so we were hovering at or just below minimums for a few hours throughout this storm period over the last week but didn't close," said Dobberstein.   

He says operations at the airport are not being directly impacted by flight cancelations for Southwest Airlines, as the carrier does not serve Hector International. 

Dobberstein appeared on "What's on Your Mind" on AM 1100 The Flag. 

Original Air Date: 
Tuesday, December 27, 2022