The FAA successfully restored full air traffic operations at the Chicago En Route Center in Aurora, IL early on Monday morning, following significant damage from a September 26 fire that was deliberately set. During the outage, the agency successfully maintained high traffic volumes to and from Midway and O'Hare, the busiest airport in the world.

FAA technical teams worked around the clock to restore and test more than 20 racks of equipment, 835 telecommunications circuits and more than 10 miles of cable. FAA test flight pilots based in Oklahoma City, OK helped air traffic controllers test more than 100 radio frequencies they use to communicate with pilots. The FAA's Command Center in Warrenton, VA worked closely with the airlines that serve the Chicago-area airports to minimize disruptions for travelers and maximize the number of flights arriving and departing at those airports.

"The men and women of the FAA turned an attack on our air traffic system into an unparalleled display of team work, creativity and resolve, said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. "They got the system going again and continued to safely manage our skies despite such a significant disruption. We appreciate the enduring patience of all travelers who were inconvenienced when Chicago Center was disabled. I'm proud of the team effort to quickly restore the system to near-normal capacity. The Department and the FAA are committed to learning from this event and plan to release a review of this incident."

The agency is conducting a 30-day review of contingency plans and security protocols for its major facilities as a result of this event.

"I am extremely proud of all the FAA employees who have worked tirelessly over the past two weeks to return this important facility to full operation so quickly," said FAA Administrator Michael P. Huerta. "I'm equally proud of the employees who immediately pitched in and worked together to smoothly manage the huge volume of flights that travel through the Chicago area every day."

A full shift of air traffic controllers returned to Chicago Center on Sunday night and resumed duties at their normal positions for the first time in more than two weeks. Nearly 200 of the facility's workers traveled to other FAA air traffic facilities during the center outage.