General view of the sunset on the boardwalk prior to Monday's solar eclipse on April 7, 2024 in Mazatlan, Mexico.
Hector Vivas | Getty Images
Monday's solar eclipse will give some of the country's smaller airports a moment in the sun.
The Federal Aviation Administration reported that arriving flights at airports from Burlington, Vermont, to southern Illinois, were briefly halted Monday morning ahead of the total solar eclipse.
Such disruptions are routinely caused by bad weather and heavy traffic in the hubs of major cities, but high demand for excellent footage of the phenomenon blocked a number of smaller airports on Monday. The best views of the solar eclipse in the U.S. extend from Texas through Illinois, Kentucky and Ohio to northwestern New York and Maine, NASA said.
A ground stop halts arrivals at an airport, giving a facility time to catch up and avoid aircraft parking congestion on the ground.
“We had to close the runway to park planes,” Alyssa Connell, chief of operations at Southern Illinois Airport in Murphysboro, Illinois, told CNBC. The airport was taking reservations for eclipse flights, reaching the maximum threshold Friday for 230 small propeller planes and about 45 larger fighter jets and larger turboprops. “This is by far the most aircraft we have ever seen.”
Patrick Leahy Burlington International Airport in Vermont is expected to receive between 100 and 130 general aviation aircraft on Monday, said Dave Carman, deputy director of aviation operations. Some scheduled commercial passenger aircraft traffic is also expected.
“It's the most we've seen in one day,” he said. “It will be hectic to get out,” he said.
People gather on the Edge observation deck at Hudson Yards before a partial solar eclipse on April 8, 2024 in New York City.
Spencer Platt | Getty Images
According to an FAA spokeswoman, the eclipse was announced as a major event during the FAA's morning planning call at the command center in Warrenton, Virginia. Other common obstacles include presidential travel, severe weather, or major sporting and entertainment events.
The FAA had previously warned pilots of possible disruptions and heavy traffic at many airports on or near the eclipse's path.
Delta Airlines sold special eclipse flights where passengers could view it from the air, one from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport to Detroit and another from Austin to Detroit. Other airlines have scheduled flights that could offer views of the solar eclipse along the “path of totality.”
The eclipse is expected to be a boon for hotels, home rentals and other businesses as tourists flood in.