Staffing issues trigger FAA ground delay at LAX; flights face hour-long waits

Flights arriving at the Los Angeles International Airport are facing significant delays on Sunday after the Federal Aviation Administration issued a ground delay citing staffing shortages in Southern California’s airspace.

According to the FAA’s Air Traffic Control System Command Center advisory, the ground delay took effect at 2:48 p.m. Pacific time and is expected to remain in place through 12:29 a.m. Monday. The advisory lists the impacting condition as “staffing/staffing”, with average delays of about 61 minutes and a maximum delay of just over two hours.

The FAA said Sunday’s delay only applies to flights coming from within the United States, meaning flights from Canada — including those possibly returning from Toronto after the Dodgers’ World Series win — are most likely not affected.

This is the second staffing-related slowdown in a week, following a ground stop last Sunday that impacted flights between Los Angeles and Oakland.

The weather at LAX was listed as mostly cloudy with haze, around 65 degrees, with winds from the west at about 13 mph, according to the National Weather Service.

Passengers are urged to check with their airlines for the latest flight information.

Sofia Pop Perez contributed to this report.