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Smoke impacts flights in western Washington, but not in Spokane

In Spokane, the visibility is even worse than in western Washington, but officials said the smoke has not impacted operations.

SPOKANE, Wash. — It’s not just central and eastern Washington socked in with smoke – western Washington is also being impacted.

On Sunday, the Federal Aviation Administration issued a ground delay at Sea-Tac International Airport because of low visibility. Officials said wildfire smoke kept commercial planes grounded and delayed incoming flights for hours.

According to the FAA, some arriving flights were still delayed Sunday for more than an hour and a half.

On the east side of the state, the visibility is even worse. But officials at the Spokane International Airport said Monday the smoke has not impacted operations.

Airport officials said the wildfire smoke that made air quality reach “hazardous” levels Sunday night, has not affected operations.

Todd Woodard with Spokane International Airport said there were some delays Sunday night, but most of those delays were because of weather conditions in the Midwest and in Dallas.

Woodard said wildfire smoke primarily affects visibility, so ground delays aren't lifted until visibility improves.

If you'd like to find out if you're flight could be affected by the smoke, the FAA encourages you to check with the airline or on the FAA airport status page.

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