Major Airport Remains Closed After Plane Skids off Icy Runway
A major snowstorm is having a massive effect on air and land travel throughout the United States, and one of the largest airports in the Midwest is closed following a scary incident.
On Saturday evening, a Delta plane landed at Des Moines International Airport, incoming from Detroit.
According to an airport spokesperson, the plane "slid off the runway while landing." The airport noted that all passengers were able to safely leave the plane for transport to the terminal, but the facility has been closed out of an abundance of caution.
The Des Moines Register says that the plane remained on the pavement before being released by the National Transportation Safety Board, but the airport remained closed through the morning as a result of the inclement weather.
Travelers Urged to Stay Aware of Weather
“Following last night’s flight that slid off the runway, we anticipate the airport may reopen by mid-morning today,” the airport said in an announcement on social media. Travelers who made their way to or through Des Moines were warned over the weekend about inclement weather, as a massive winter storm hits the Midwest.
According to local CBS affiliate KCCI, the Des Moines airport received 10.9 inches of snow prior to midnight on Sunday. That's the highest amount of snowfall in the city since January 2024, and the second-most snowfall ever recorded in Des Moines in the month of November.
Other areas in Iowa were hit hard by heavy snow, including Fort Dodge, Callender and Cedar Falls - all of which received over a foot of snow during the holiday weekend. According to FlightAware, more than 2,000 flights were canceled on Saturday afternoon, and nearly 500 had been canceled before 6 AM on Sunday.
"Heavy snow and ice in the Upper Great Lakes and moving east," the FAA reported on Sunday morning in its operations plan for the day. "Thunderstorms in the Southern Plains will be some major constraints along with heavy holiday volume."
Major Airports Feeling Pressure from Snow
Millions of Americans are looking to travel after the end of the Thanksgiving holiday, including an estimated six million in the air. Travel of all forms will be affected by the heavy, sustained snowfall throughout the midwest - snowfall that is expected to continue accumulation through the rest of the week.
Chicago's O'Hare has already had to cancel nearly 200 flights on Sunday, and one of the most prominent airports on the planet has been hamstrung by a severe, ongoing weather system.
We'll see how snow, ice, inclement weather and the resulting postponements and cancellations affect the last of the Thanksgiving travelers across America.