Albuquerque Airport Shut Down By False Fire Alarm

Air Route Traffic Control Center evacuated, but ground stop lifted by 2 p.m.

Credit: Albuquerque International Airport
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Key Takeaways:

  • Air traffic at Albuquerque International Sunport (KABQ) was temporarily shut down due to a fire alarm and evacuation at the off-airport Air Route Traffic Control Center.
  • The FAA initiated a traffic ground stop while the center was evacuated, reducing staffing.
  • The alert was determined to be a false alarm, and controllers returned to their posts, lifting the ground stop at 2:05 p.m. local time.
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Air traffic at Albuquerque, New Mexico, International Sunport (KABQ) was shut down for a time today (June 26) after a fire alarm went off at the off-airport Albuquerque Air Route Traffic Control Center. The FAA initiated a traffic ground stop when the Center was evacuated due to the alarm. It was subsequently determined that the alert was a false alarm and controllers returned to their posts. The ground stop was lifted at 2:05 p.m. local time.

FAA spokesperson Donnell Evans wrote in an email statement to television news station KRQE, “Air traffic controllers returned to the Albuquerque Air Route Traffic Control Center after the FAA temporarily reduced staffing due to a fire alarm. No fire was detected but the FAA put a ground stop in place.”

Mark Phelps

Mark Phelps is a senior editor at AVweb. He is an instrument rated private pilot and former owner of a Grumman American AA1B and a V-tail Bonanza.

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Replies: 3

  1. Someone down there at AvWeb must be pretty horny for a story. This one and the AA “engine issue” doesn’t pass the sensational test.
    Did you hear that someone claims they saw a coyote walk across our runway yesterday?

  2. At Double Eagle II (KAEG) airport, a couple of miles west of Albuquerque, the AWOS cautions pilots about wild life on the runway. It’s rare to not see a coyote when landing there.

  3. More time to get some of that great Green Chili Chicken soup at Comida Buena in the terminal.

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