Flights canceled, delayed, but de-icing continues at Sea-Tac Airport

SEATAC, Wash. — Hundreds of flights have been canceled at Sea-Tac International Airport on Friday as an ice storm arrived in Western Washington and caused the closure of runways.

“At about 2 a.m. the airfield received a dump of freezing rain that quickly solidified on the surfaces,” Port of Seattle spokesperson Perry Cooper told KIRO 7 at 3:30 a.m.

At 6:57 a.m., the airport tweeted that one runway had been reopened after being deiced.

We continue to keep the runway (16L) and adjoining taxiways clear as our snow crews de-ice and keep things safe. We’ve seen some action as airline operations trickle in and out. We will work on more runways as the weather warms and improves. Please check with airlines! pic.twitter.com/6EsyCIBS8K

— Seattle-Tacoma Intl. Airport (@flySEA) December 23, 2022

Alaska Airlines announced that all of its flights out of Sea-Tac are canceled until noon.

Freezing rain & icy conditions at Sea-Tac have forced us to pause flying before noon PST. It will take warmer weather and time to clear our ramp and aircraft of ice. We are working hard to resume safe operations. https://t.co/Dntjiyvwgc pic.twitter.com/Cz2BiGCqSp

— Alaska Airlines (@AlaskaAir) December 23, 2022

The other runways will remain closed indefinitely. At 11:25 a.m., the airport tweeted that crews would work on deicing more runways as temperatures increase.

Meanwhile, as of 11:39 a.m., FlightAware showed that 523 flights were canceled and 173 were delayed.

Some airlines pre-canceled flights ahead of the storm.