Fog delays dozens of flights

Dense fog will continue to be a threat in the lower elevations of the Inland Northwest this morning, after fog Wednesday morning at Spokane International Airport delayed a dozen flights. Forecasters said visibility could drop to a quarter-mile or less in places. Freezing fog and black ice could make roads slick this morning and Friday.

Wednesday’s airport delays came as visitors were flying into Spokane for the opening ceremony and events at the national figure skating championships.

Visibility dropped to 500 feet in the morning. By noon, it had improved to 800 feet along the main runway, said David Crowner, operations manager at the airport.

Most of the airlines operating in Spokane have 600-foot minimums for takeoffs and landings, he said.

Some aircraft circled above Spokane. Other airlines kept flights at departure gates in other cities, while some flights on the ground in Spokane waited on taxiways to depart.

“Everybody was waiting for it to improve,” said Crowner.

Spokane International operates under an advanced fog landing system installed in 1997, in which takeoffs and landings can occur at reduced visibilities. Prior to that, fog delays were commonplace because the minimum visibility was 1,600 feet. Fog reducing visibility to less than 600 feet occurs infrequently and typically for only a few hours at a time.