Hundreds of flights canceled in Chicago after electrical issue, smoke at air traffic facility (training, FAA)

[Chava61]

Hundreds of flights canceled in Chicago after electrical issue, smoke at air traffic facility | Star Tribune

Are there no backup systems anywhere else that could stop so many flights from being canceled?

[flyonpa]

Sort of, If it "burned down" control would be passed to all the Towers/Centers, but at a much slower rate. But it takes time to move all the ATC people around to other sites.

While the TRACON is being evacuated control of the planes under there control would be passed back to the Center or over to the towers.

Long Term, The TRACON Controllers would be send to the FAA Backup/Training Center outside of Washington DC. Where they can run the TRACON operation from there. But it not like they have hundreds of controllers just sitting there waiting for a Fire in one of the TRACON / Centers so they can jump into action. The physical Controllers from the Effected TRACON/Center have to Fly there to work.

[West Phx Native]

Don'tcha just hate it when the smoke leaks out of the wires. Lets see, bathroom fan, $25, delays across the country, MILLIONS.

[BLS2753]

Originally Posted by Chava61

Hundreds of flights canceled in Chicago after electrical issue, smoke at air traffic facility | Star Tribune

Are there no backup systems anywhere else that could stop so many flights from being canceled?

There is a backup system. The enroute center in Aurora. Obviously at a much reduced rate of traffic flow. Which is what happened.

This isn't a safety of flight issue, it's an inconvenience. Do you want your tax money going to support a complete stand-by facility, with a full complement of qualified controllers twiddling their thumbs waiting for an outage at the main facility?