On October 23, 2026, the FAA implemented a total of 22 delay programs affecting 16 airports across the United States. Denver International Airport (DEN) was the worst-hit location, experiencing ground stop programs due to runway construction and wind with continuous impact from 01:20 UTC to 17:20 UTC.
FAA Delay Programs Span 16 Airports, Include Ground Stops and Ground Delays
Among the 16 affected airports—ranging from AUS in Austin to YYC in Calgary—FAA delay programmes included four ground stop programs, seven ground delay programs, and eleven general arrival/departure delay advisories. Ground stop programs prevent departures bound for the affected airport from leaving their origin airports, while ground delay programs meter arrivals by assigning later departure times.
Denver International (DEN) held the longest individual delay program with a ground delay lasting 22 hours and 20 minutes due to runway construction, reaching peak average delays of 66 minutes and peak maximum delays of 146 minutes. DEN also had a ground stop program
for 16 hours attributed to runway construction and wind.
San Diego International (SAN) had both a 22-hour 20-minute ground delay program for airport volume and a general arrival/departure delay program for volume lasting 22 hours. Harry Reid International (LAS) experienced a 7-hour 40-minute ground delay program caused by rain and a general delay program linked to staffing for 2 hours 40 minutes with peak average delays up to 91 minutes.
San Francisco International (SFO) recorded 21 hours of ground delays due to low ceilings with peak average delays of 89 minutes. Other notable ground delay durations were Austin (AUS) for
7 hours 40 minutes under “other” causes and YUL’s 5-hour 20-minute runway construction delay.
| Airport | FAA programme | Cause | Peak average delay | In force (UTC) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denver International (DEN) | Ground Stop Programs | runway construction; wind | – | 01:20 to 17:20 (16 hours) |
| Newark Liberty International (EWR) | Ground Stop Programs | STAFFING | – | 00:20 to 01:20 (1 hour) |
| San Diego International (SAN) | Ground Stop Programs | airport volume | – | 00:40 to 01:20 (40 minutes) |
| YYC | Ground Stop Programs | snow or ice | – | 14:20 to 14:20 (20 minutes) |
| Harry Reid International (LAS) | Ground Delay Programs | rain | 97 min | 00:00 to 07:40 (7 hours 40 minutes) |
| San Francisco International (SFO) | Ground Delay Programs | low ceilings | 89 min | 00:00 to 21:00 (21 hours) |
| AUS | Ground Delay Programs | other | 75 min | 14:40 to 22:20 (7 hours 40 minutes) |
| Denver International (DEN) | Ground Delay Programs | runway construction | 66 min | 00:00 to 22:20 (22 hours 20 minutes) |
| San Diego International (SAN) | Ground Delay Programs | airport volume | 63 min | 00:00 to 22:20 (22 hours 20 minutes) |
| YYC | Ground Delay Programs | runway construction | 40 min | 00:00 to 01:20 (1 hour 20 minutes) |
| YUL | Ground Delay Programs | runway construction | 26 min | 17:00 to 22:20 (5 hours 20 minutes) |
| Harry Reid International (LAS) | General Arrival/Departure Delay Info | STAFF:Staffing | 91 min | 00:00 to 02:40 (2 hours 40 minutes) |
| San Diego International (SAN) | General Arrival/Departure Delay Info | VOL:Volume | 46 min | 00:20 to 22:20 (22 hours) |
| Orlando International (MCO) | General Arrival/Departure Delay Info | RWY:Obstruction | 31 min | 00:00 to 02:40 (2 hours 40 minutes) |
Top Causes Driving Delay Programs: Low Ceilings, Volume, and Construction
The top reasons behind delay programs on October 23 were low ceilings (43 samples), airport volume (37), and runway construction (36). Volume-related delays also appear under FAA terminology such as “VOL:Volume” with 35 samples and rain contributed 24 samples. Together, weather factors like low ceilings and rain accounted for a substantial share.
Runway construction impacted multiple airports with significant delay durations, notably Denver, YUL, MIA, SEA, and DFW. Staffing issues contributed to early ground stops at Newark Liberty International (EWR) and general delays at LAS. Snow
or ice affected YYC with a 20-minute ground stop.
Delay Activity Slightly Up from Yesterday, Near Weekly Average
Comparing the data to the previous day, October 22, the FAA held one more airport under delay programs—16 today versus 15 yesterday—and ran 22 total programs compared to 26 yesterday, indicating fewer programs but more airports involved. With a seven-day average of 14.7 airports affected, today’s coverage is above average but not the highest in the recent tracking window.
The longest single delay program today lasted 22 hours and 20 minutes at Denver, but peak average and maximum delays reached 97 and 570 minutes respectively at Harry Reid International (LAS) during
rain-related ground delays.
FAA data tracked by travelandtournews.com.
Methodology. travelandtournews.com samples the FAA’s National Airspace System status feed every 20 minutes throughout the US operating day and aggregates the result. This report is built from 64 samples taken between 00:00 and 22:20 UTC on 2026-10-23. Durations are the observed window between the first and last sample in which a programme was in force, so a programme’s true length may be slightly longer than shown. Ground stops, ground delay programmes, airport closures and general delays are all published by the FAA in real time; the daily aggregation is ours.
