LAX ground stop Wednesday appeared tied to an equipment outage as curbside work continues

-
The control tower and airfield at Los Angeles International Airport

LAX ground stop Wednesday appeared tied to an equipment outage as curbside work continues

Details on the cause were limited. The airport's construction schedule shows several curbside restrictions extending well beyond this week.

By Alberto Zamudio | The Southbound 105 | Oct. 16, 2026

Flights at Los Angeles International Airport were briefly halted early Wednesday in a ground stop that appeared tied to an equipment outage, and travelers heading to the terminals face a long list of curbside construction detours.

What happened Wednesday

KTLA reported that a ground stop at LAX forced delays early Wednesday, Oct. 14. The station said details about the cause were limited, but that Air Traffic Control alerts indicated an equipment outage. The issue was first reported shortly before 4 a.m., eventually halting all flights, and the stop was lifted around 5 a.m., KTLA reported. By then, delays had climbed to about 36 minutes.

Other outlets and flight-tracking sites that republished FAA advisory data gave slightly different times, with some putting the start at about 3:46 a.m. and others at about 4 a.m. Pacific time, so the exact timing is not settled. Those reports described the FAA advisory's delay figures as 253 total delay entries, an average of 36 minutes and a maximum of 58 minutes, and noted that the advisory did not name the failed equipment. Those figures describe the FAA's traffic management program and are not a count of delayed passengers or flights.

The cause was not officially explained in the reports reviewed. No source reported a count of canceled flights.

Curbside construction at the terminals

Separately, LAX's Ground Transportation Construction Alert for Oct. 11 through Oct. 17, issued Friday, Oct. 9, lists 24-hour lane restrictions and relocations across the Central Terminal Area:

  • Terminal 1 arrivals: the 24/7 inner-lane closure ended Oct. 15, with nightly restrictions through late November. The LAX (pink) and LAX-it (green) shuttle stops are closed, and passenger pickup curbs at columns 1A-1D are closed. The alert directs riders to the stops between Terminals 1 and 2 and to Column 1J.
  • Terminal 2 arrivals: restrictions run through Oct. 30. The LAX, LAX-it and FlyAway stops are closed; the alert points riders to stops between Terminals 1 and 2 or at Terminal 3.
  • Terminal 6 arrivals: restrictions run through Oct. 25. The LAX, LAX-it and FlyAway stops are closed, and the alert directs riders to Terminal 7.
  • Terminal 4 and Terminal 5: drop-off lane restrictions on both the arrivals and departures levels run through the fourth quarter of 2027 at Terminal 4 and the second quarter of 2028 at Terminal 5.
  • Circle Way at Admin East: a temporary bypass road to World Way North is open.

The alert also notes that various nightly closures will be in place at curbside locations and that signage will mark shuttle stop closures and relocations.

What travelers can do

Passengers should check their airline for flight status before leaving, and check the airport's ground transportation page for the latest weekly construction alert, since the Oct. 9 alert covers only through Saturday. LAX's construction hotline is 310-649-5292.

Why it matters

A short ground stop in the middle of the night can still ripple through morning schedules, and the curbside work means pickup and drop-off locations may differ from what regular travelers expect. Some terminal restrictions are scheduled to run into 2027 and 2028, according to the alert.

What's next

  • Cause of the outage: no official explanation had been published in the sources reviewed.
  • New weekly alerts: LAX issues updated construction alerts each week.
  • Oct. 25 and Oct. 30: scheduled end dates for Terminal 6 and Terminal 2 arrivals-level restrictions, per the Oct. 9 alert.

Want more local news? Read more at The Southbound 105.

Cover photo: Moto "Club4AG" Miwa, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Sources

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Flea-borne typhus outbreak confirmed in Wilshire Center as LA County cases keep climbing

-
Image
Seven people sickened and six hospitalized in the county's second neighborhood typhus cluster of 2026. Health officials say the risk reaches well beyond Koreatown. LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles County health officials are investigating an outbreak of flea-borne typhus in Wilshire Center, the dense Mid-Wilshire neighborhood that overlaps Koreatown, after seven people with symptoms were linked to the cluster. Six of the seven were hospitalized. All have recovered, the Department of Public Health said when it announced the outbreak on Tuesday, Sept. 22. It is the second flea-borne typhus outbreak the department has reported this year. The first, announced July 29, involved five people in nearby Pico-Union; all five were hospitalized and later recovered. Countywide, Public Health has counted 109 typhus cases so far in 2026. As of Friday, Sept. 25, the department had not announced any additional cases tied to the Wilshire Center cluster. As flea-borne typhus cases continue to inc...
Read more

Tropical Storm Rachel surf forces evacuations on Long Beach Peninsula; 8 buildings red-tagged

-
Image
Cover photo: File photo (Alamitos Bay and the Peninsula, 2015; not storm damage) by Don Ramey Logan , CC BY 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons; cropped, darkened and text added by The Southbound 105. By The Southbound 105 | Oct. 10, 2026 LONG BEACH — Long Beach ordered oceanfront residents on the Peninsula to leave their homes Friday night after surf from Tropical Storm Rachel broke through the bulkhead that protects Seaside Walk, sending seawater into homes and side streets. The mandatory evacuation order covers homes on Seaside Walk between 64th and 66th places, the 6400 and 6500 blocks. It took effect at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 9, and runs through noon Tuesday, Oct. 13, city officials said, adding that the return date could change as conditions evolve. Residents of nine properties were told to go. Eight buildings too dangerous to enter City inspectors red-tagged eight buildings, covering 13 addresses, in the 6400 and 6500 blocks of Seaside Walk, meaning they are considered too dangero...
Read more

Nightclub, Tahiti trip and ‘ghost’ clients: Feds charge three in LA homelessness-fraud crackdown

-
Image
A Culver City nonprofit founder is accused of diverting more than $7.5 million meant for homeless housing through sham vendors. His arraignment is set for Oct. 22, and prosecutors say more cases are coming. LOS ANGELES — Federal prosecutors on Wednesday, Sept. 16, charged three people tied to Los Angeles-area homelessness nonprofits with fraud and bribery, alleging that money meant to house unhoused people paid instead for a nightclub, luxury travel, a vintage car restoration and video games. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli, HUD Secretary Scott Turner and District Attorney Nathan Hochman were among the officials at the downtown announcement. “Nobody was minding the shop. There's no vetting. There's no auditing. There's no accounting. It was just a rush to push as much money out the door. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli, responding to a question from LAist All defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty; the charges are allegations. ...
Read more