Hundreds of flights canceled as ice shuts down Sea-Tac runways

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.

The runways are closed indefinitely.

SEA runways are currently closed indefinitely as we continue to work to de-ice the surfaces. Safety is our priority before we can reopen the runways. Check with your airline for further updates on your specific flight. 5:10am pic.twitter.com/X6WWaLHlyM

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

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

“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.

Runways are closed while crews spread deicing material.

Meanwhile, as of 5:15 a.m., FlightAware showed that 388 flights were canceled and 49 were delayed.

Some airlines pre-canceled flights ahead of the storm.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.