FAA Issues Two Ground Stops at San Francisco International as Dense Fog Forces Go-Arounds
Why It MattersRecurring low-visibility fog at a major Bay Area gateway limits how many aircraft can land, and ground programs of this kind push delays onto diverted and rescheduled flights across the region.
The Federal Aviation Administration issued two consecutive ground stops at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) on Monday morning as a dense fog bank reduced visibility along the Bay Area shoreline. Runway visibility fell to just over one-tenth of a mile, and multiple aircraft aborted landings. The FAA halted arrivals twice before 11 a.m. Pacific Time. A ground-delay program followed when visibility briefly improved, after which the FAA imposed a second ground stop beginning at 10:12 a.m., initially scheduled to run until 11:30 a.m.
FlightAware figures showed 187 flights delayed and three canceled, with arrival delays averaging about 63 minutes. Later FAA operational updates described an extended ground stop caused by a low cloud deck and multiple go-arounds. At times, SFO could accept only aircraft equipped for Category II and Category III instrument approaches. The FAA's operational plan listed the ground stop through 1 p.m. and a ground-delay program through 1:59 p.m. Visibility improved to about half a mile by 9:23 a.m., but low clouds continued to restrict operations.
The National Weather Service's Monday evening forecast discussion anticipated more fog and low clouds overnight into Tuesday, November 10. The FAA's operational plan for Tuesday identified low ceilings and reduced visibility as potential constraints at SFO, with a possible ground stop or ground-delay program after 8 a.m. However, the FAA's airport status update at 1:17 a.m. Tuesday reported no destination-specific delays at SFO, with general arrival and departure delays of 15 minutes or less.
