OIA Can't Deice Frozen Jets

ORLANDO, Fla. --

Officials at Orlando International Airport are keeping an eye out for ice Thursday morning.

Deicing is something that's not usually required at local airports, and OIA doesn't have the equipment used to remove ice from the planes.

The threat of ice on the wings of the jets poses a serious threat to operations at OIA. Work crews aren't equipped to handle the cold weather because the airport doesn't own any deicing equipment.

Pilots are forced to sit their planes in the sun until the ice melts.

It doesn't appear conditions will improve because 60 percent of the nation is recording temperatures of 15 to 30 degrees below normal. It's the longest cold snap in almost 30 years.

Orlando International Airport Map-81.3108484447002428.43820909821717511

Planes heading to Orlando from northern locales may bring delays when it comes to turnaround times, leading to possible cancellations.

Lines at OIA formed early Thursday morning, with travelers hoping to be early birds in attempts to get out of town.

"The cold fronts have been horrible the last few days, so it hasn't been like that in a few years," traveler John Paul Navawro said.

"We're headed to Pasadena for the national championship game, and we're running a day behind already," another traveler said.

As of early Thursday morning, OIA reported cancellations to two arriving flights and three departures, but most other flights were on time. To check flight delays,

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