Widespread delays, cancellations continue at Tampa International Airport

Travelers through Tampa International and other major Florida airports are still seeing delays or cancellations due to a band of strong storms near Georgia that disrupted flights on Saturday.

On Sunday, flight problems continued. An airport spokesperson said that the delays and cancellations were expected given an overflow of about 10,000 passengers who were unable to fly in or out on Saturday. The airport is also seeing historically high numbers as more people are traveling during this spring break compared to last year.

As many as 100,000 people could be arriving and departing in Tampa on Sunday. Due to the high flight volume, the Federal Aviation Administration has to slow some flights down to reduce congestion in the sky.

Around 6 p.m. Saturday, half of the roughly 650 flights arriving and departing from Tampa International Airport had been delayed, and 82 — or about 13 percent — had been canceled. The delays came on what a spokesperson for the airport called one of its busiest travel days because of the start of local spring breaks.

“Airlines are working hard to get people where they need to go as quickly as possible,” said Emily Nipps, a spokesperson for the airport. “But our biggest tip for passengers is that if you’re flying today, or even tomorrow, check with your airline before you come to the airport to make sure that your flight is on time.”

Domino effects of the delays were expected for the rest of the weekend.