Southwest Airlines resumes operations after ‘firewall failure’, flights delayed at Myrtle Beach International Airport

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WBTW) — Southwest Airlines resumed operations Tuesday morning after a “firewall failure” caused flights to be delayed nationwide, including at Myrtle Beach International Airport, according to an airline spokesperson and the Federal Aviation Administration.

“Southwest has resumed operations after temporarily pausing flight activity this morning to work through data connection issues resulting from a firewall failure,” the airline said in a statement. “Early this morning, a vendor-supplied firewall went down and connection to some operational data was unexpectedly lost. Southwest Teams worked quickly to minimize flight disruptions.”

The airline urged travelers to check flight status on their website or with a customer service agent at the airport.

“We appreciate the patience of our Customers and Employees during this morning’s brief disruption,” the airline said.

As of 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, six Southwest Airlines flights were delayed at Myrtle Beach International Airport, according to FlightAware, a flight tracking website. The number includes both arriving and departing flights.

The airline requested the FAA pause it’s flights while the issue was worked on. The pause has since been lifted.