Resilience of the national airspace system: A case study of the fire at the Chicago ARTCC

As air traffic grows, improving the resilience of an increasingly congested airspace is becoming a primary concern to ensure its sustainability and avoid the propagation of localized disruptions. The fire set at Chicago Air Traffic Control facility in September 2014 is a striking and worrisome case where one ill-intentioned individual halted traffic in a facility which caused ripple effects across the National Airspace. This paper analyzes the particular role that the Chicago center plays in the National airspace. Then it provides a detailed analysis of the local and global impact of the fire, through the day of the event and for the next two weeks while the facility remained closed for repairs. Finally, it draws the lessons learnt from this event as well as other recent infrastructure failures.