50+ Sacramento flights delayed due to a system outage, airport officials say
Dozens of Sacramento flights were delayed Thursday due to a problem with an outage in a system that helps aircraft land during low visibility.
The Sacramento International Airport announced Thursday morning that multiple flights were being diverted. As of 10:10 a.m., FlightAware had counted 58 delayed flights to or from the airport and one cancellation. Of the delays, 45 affected Southwest Airlines passengers.
Visibility at the airport was down to a quarter-mile around 9 a.m. due to foggy conditions but, by 10:30 a.m., had improved to 2½ miles, according to the National Weather Service.
The airport urged passengers to check with their airlines before coming to the airport.
Thursday’s system outage is unrelated to the federal government shutdown, which has forced Transportation Security Administration personnel as well as air traffic controllers to work without pay. Many other airports, including the Los Angeles International Airport and the San Francisco International Airport, have faced significant delays due to staffing shortages of air traffic controllers. SMF has, officials said, not experienced those staffing shortages yet.
The federal government shutdown began Oct. 1, when Republicans and Democrats had reached an impasse over whether to continue funding health insurance subsidies in a new budget deal, and the previous deal expired. The shutdown has now reached 37 days, the longest in history, furloughing other federal employees.
Bay Area airports affected by reductions
While Sacramento isn’t among the top-40 airports targeted for the 10% reduction in flights, as outlined by federal officials, other California airports haven’t been spared even while chasing a sustained rebound in passenger trips.
The reduction could impact San Francisco International Airport and Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport, according to multiple news organizations. Other California airports on the reported list included Los Angeles and San Diego.
Reuters reported on Thursday that a 4% reduction was expected to begin Friday, increase to 5% on Saturday, 6% on Sunday, and then up to the 10% goal by sometime next week.
“The Federal Aviation Administration has not formally indicated whether Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport will be included among the airports that may experience passenger service cuts,” said Kaley Skantz, a spokesperson for the East Bay aviation hub.
Similarly, San Francisco International Airport was awaiting word of a potential reduction.
“Ultimately each airline will determine how to comply with the order, and we know they will make every effort to proactively notify their affected customers,” San Francisco Airport spokesperson Doug Yakel said. “The best advice for passengers is to contact their airline directly for information.”
Some airlines have already begun issuing travel advisories to passengers ahead of the possible FAA-mandated slowdown.
“The vast majority of our customers’ flights will not be disrupted,” Southwest Airlines stated in a post on its website. “Southwest will communicate directly with affected customers as soon as possible.”
Delta Airlines also said it expects the air traffic cutback won’t affect the great majority of its customers.
“We are providing additional flexibility to our customers traveling to, from or through the impacted markets during the impacted travel period to change, cancel or refund their flight,” Delta stated on its website.
American Airlines also believes most passengers won’t be affected.
“We encourage all customers to check their flight status on aa.com or the mobile app, which will provide real-time updates,” American Airlines stated. “Disrupting customers’ plans is the last thing we want to do.”
Airport numbers slow to rebound in Bay Area
Potential air traffic slowdowns are arriving at a delicate time for airports, some of which have yet to recover from temporary travel restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic and the effects since.
After improvements in passenger totals in 2021, 2022, and 2023, San Jose and Oakland both began to suffer slumps in 2024 and the weakening pattern has lingered well into 2025, a review of official airport statistics shows.
During the one-year period that ended in July, Oakland accommodated 9.72 million passengers. That was 13.5% below the 11.23 million passengers the East Bay travel center handled during the 12 months ending in July 2024. July was the most recent month of statistics posted by the airport.
Over the one-year stretch ending in September, San Francisco handled 54.38 million passengers, which was up 5.6% from the 51.51 million passengers it handled during the 12 months ending in September 2024.
San Francisco International Airport, however, remains below the altitude it achieved in 2019 when it saw 57.49 million passengers in 2019.
Oakland’s totals over the most recent 12 months are 27.4% below the 2019 total of 13.38 million passengers. And San Jose’s passenger trips during the year-long period ending in September were 28.5% below the South Bay aviation hub’s 15.65 million passengers in 2019.
SMF passenger totals continue to rise
Sacramento International Airport, meanwhile, has experienced historic growth compared to its Bay Area peers.
In 2024, SMF served a record 13.6 million passengers, a 5.1% increase from the prior year, according to the Sacramento County Department of Airports. That growth continued into 2025, with officials reporting the busiest month ever in June, when 1.3 million travelers passed through the airport.
“2024 was an incredible year for SMF,” Cindy Nichol, director of the airport system, said in January. Officials credited the rise to added flights and growing recognition of Sacramento as a travel hub.
New destinations and expanded service contributed to the increase. By mid-2025, the airport was offering more than 180 daily nonstop flights across 12 airlines. Southwest and Alaska Airlines alone added eight new routes this year.
SMF has also seen travelers from outside the region — including the Bay Area and the north state — choosing to fly through Sacramento due to expanded service and convenience.
That surge coincided with the launch of SMForward, a $1.3 billion modernization effort that includes new gates in Terminal B, a pedestrian walkway, and a 5,500-space parking garage. The walkway is expected to open in December, and the parking garage is slated for completion in fall 2026.
The full build-out of the SMForward project is expected by 2028.
The Bay Area News Group and The Bee’s Daniel Hunt and Camila Pedrosa contributed to this story.
This story was originally published November 6, 2025 at 10:26 AM with the headline "50+ Sacramento flights delayed due to a system outage, airport officials say."
