Salt Lake International resumes flight operations in aftermath of 5.7 magnitude quake

File Photo: Salt Lake International Airport

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, March 18, 2020 (Gephardt Daily) — Salt Lake City International has reopened in the aftermath of the 5.7 magnitude earthquake that rocked the Salt Lake Valley on Wednesday morning.

Shortly after 8 a.m., nearly an hour after the quake hit in nearby Magna, the airport tweeted, “Road to the airport has been closed. Please do not come out to the airport.”

A short while later, a second tweet was issued: “The airport is not currently operational. The FAA tower, terminals and concourses have been evacuated. The road to the airport has been opened, so that passengers can be picked up.”

For the next couple of hours, safety crews inspected the airport facilities for damage while passengers waited outside on the concourses.

A ruptured water line sent water cascading onto the pavement outside Concourse D, while maintenance crews worked to repair the damaged line.

In the early afternoon, it was determined the airport facilities were structurally sound and that general aviation and cargo flights would be allowed to resume.

At 1:13 the airport announced operations were returning to normal, including commercial flights.

“The airport has completed the security sweep and is preparing to allow passengers through at 1:15 p.m.,” the airport’s tweet said. “The water line in Concourse D has been repaired and the remaining facilities have been found to be structurally safe. Flights will begin arriving and departing.”

The first plane to depart Wednesday afternoon was a flight from was from SLC to DFW at 2:54 p.m.

The airport indicated flights that were diverted earlier in the day would begin arriving soon.

It suggested passengers check with their airline regarding possible cancellations or delays before heading to the airport.

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