MIAMI – Hurricane Ian affected the weather in South Florida enough to cause some flight problems.
While Key West International Airport in Monroe County closed Wednesday, officials decided to keep Miami and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood international airports open.
There were cancelations and some difficult experiences. The pilot of a Delta Airlines flight from Boston had to wait for confirmation about whether or not it was safe to land at FLL.
“We got to circle and circle and circle,” said Chris Capazzoli, a passenger on flight DL 821.
Janette Raab, also a passenger on the Delta Arlines flight from Boston, said the pilot was forced to fly around FLL for about an hour.
“A bunch of people started getting sick,” Raab said.
The pilot later diverted to MIA because of its diagonal Northwest-to-Southeast runway allows planes to land into the wind, according to Greg Chin, of the Miami-Dade Aviation Department.
“When we finally landed, people were clapping and cheering,” Raab said.
At least 180 flights were canceled at FLL on Wednesday, including 89 arrivals and 91 departures, according to Arlene Satchell, of the Broward County Aviation Department.
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Local 10 News Assignment Desk Editor Aura Martinez contributed to this report.