Is there a ground stop at OTZ today?
No ground stop at OTZ right now (as of 5:52 AM AKDT, Oct 28): the FAA lists no ground stop, ground delay program or delays for Ralph Wien Memorial Airport.
Live FAA delay status for Ralph Wien Memorial Airport (PAOT, Kotzebue, AK): ground stops, ground delay programs and delays right now, what the FAA has listed for OTZ recently, and how often flights here actually run late.
No: the FAA is not reporting a ground stop at OTZ right now.
FAA NAS Status lists no ground stop, ground delay program, or delay event for Ralph Wien Memorial. Checked Oct 28, 2026 · 1352Z (5:52 AM AKDT); this page refreshes about every two minutes.
Get free OTZ delay alerts on Telegram
We'll message you when the FAA issues, changes, or lifts a ground stop or delay program at Ralph Wien Memorial Airport, so you can stop refreshing this page.
Free, no app to install, unsubscribe anytime.
Recent FAA events at OTZ
Ground stops and delay programs the FAA has listed for OTZ in the last 90 days, from ATIS Alerts' own log of FAA NAS Status.
No ground stops, ground delay programs, or delay events recorded for OTZ in this window. The log is complete from 2026-09-22; earlier entries come from the ATIS Alerts bot's event history and cover only the latest event of each type.
Durations are the time the FAA kept the event listed. Log complete from 2026-09-22; older rows are the last event of each type seen by the ATIS Alerts bot since 2026-07-22.
How often is OTZ delayed?
Airline on-time performance at OTZ, Jun 2025 to May 2026, from the US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
362 scheduled airline arrivals and 362 departures in the period. Best month: Oct 2025 (96.4% on time); worst: Jan 2026 (64.3%). 43% of arrival delay minutes were charged to weather or the National Airspace System, the categories a ground stop or ground delay program falls under.
On-time arrivals by month
Bar = share of arrivals within 15 minutes of schedule; largest month had 33 arrivals.
What caused the delays
- 38%Extreme weather
- 29%Late-arriving aircraft
- 28%Airline (crew, maintenance, ground handling)
- 5%National Airspace System (ATC, volume, non-extreme weather)
- 0%Security
Shares of delay minutes on arrivals 15+ minutes late, as reported by the carriers to the DOT.
Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) Airline On-Time Performance (reporting carriers; regional, cargo, and general aviation flights are not included). Published about two months after each month ends.
Weather at PAOT right now
Weather drives most ground stops: thunderstorms, low ceilings, wind and snow.
METAR PAOT 281253Z AUTO 14020KT 10SM VCFG BKN048 OVC070 03/01 A2990 RMK AO2 PK WND 16031/1156 SLP125 T00280011 TSNO $
What a ground stop at OTZ means
When the FAA issues a ground stop for Ralph Wien Memorial, aircraft headed there are held at their departure airports until it lifts; flights already airborne continue, hold, or divert. It is the FAA's most severe traffic-management step short of closing the airport, and it is usually issued in 30 to 90 minute increments that get extended while the cause persists, then often converted into a ground delay program as conditions improve.
Passengers:your aircraft is probably sitting at its origin; the airline's "delayed" status usually resolves in waves after the stop lifts. Pilots: a stop at OTZ ripples into the satellite airports and the whole TRACON; check the national board for programs at your alternate.
Terminology: ground stops explained · GDPs and EDCTs explained
OTZ ground stop FAQ
Is there a ground stop at OTZ today?
No ground stop at OTZ right now (as of 5:52 AM AKDT, Oct 28): the FAA lists no ground stop, ground delay program or delays for Ralph Wien Memorial Airport. This page rechecks the FAA's NAS Status feed about every two minutes.
How do I know if OTZ has a ground stop right now?
The banner at the top of this page reads the FAA's NAS Status feed about every two minutes. A red banner means the FAA currently lists a ground stop for Ralph Wien Memorial; green means it does not. The official source is nasstatus.faa.gov.
How long do ground stops at OTZ last?
We have not recorded enough ground stops here yet to give an airport-specific average. Nationally, most stops run 30 to 90 minutes per issuance, but a stalled line of storms can keep one extended for hours.
Does a ground stop mean my flight is cancelled?
No. It means departures to OTZ are held, not cancelled. Airlines cancel on their own when the backlog cannot be recovered, so watch your carrier's updates alongside this page.
⚠️ Informational only. FAA NAS Status is the authoritative source for delay programs; your airline or dispatch governs your flight. ATIS Alerts is not affiliated with the FAA.