**Update 03/18/2020 @ 17:43UTC- Added statement from Delta Air Lines**

Salt Lake City International Airport is closed after a 5.7 magnitude earthquake struck the airport on March 18th. It is unclear what the extent of the damage is, however, the airport has been evacuated – including the FAA tower.

Salt Lake City International Airport struck by earthquake

On Twitter, Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) posted the following update early in the day on March 18th:

An earthquake struck the Salt Lake City area on Wednesday morning as per a report from the Weather Channel. Rated at a 5.7 magnitude, the earthquake struck just after 7AM local time. There were also aftershocks that some had felt. This is the strongest earthquake to hit the state of Utah since 1992. It was stronger in other parts of the state.

Some travelers took to Twitter to show some of the damage to SLC:

Flights are being affected. FlightRadar24 noted a number of different aircraft bound for Salt Lake City diverting across the country:

Passengers scheduled to fly in or out of the airport should check with their airline prior to heading to the airport. As of now, it is unclear when flights will resume.

Delta Air Lines

Delta operates a major hub out of Salt Lake City International Airport. As a result, the airline is one of the most heavily impacted carriers out of the airport.

Delta Air Lines Salt Lake
Delta is a major Airbus operator in the US. Photo: Getty Images

A number of flights today out of Salt Lake City have been cancelled. Others, however, are delayed. It is best to check your flight status online before heading to the airport if you are scheduled to fly to or from Salt Lake City. Delta is cancelling and delaying flights across both mainline and Delta Connection flights.

Delta CRJ900
Delta Connection's CRJ900 is well-known at many regional airports in the United States, but the airline could be forced to fly fewer of these aircraft. Photo: Getty Images

Delta provided Simple Flying with the following statement:

We are thankful that our employees and customers are reported to be safe following an earthquake near the Salt Lake City International Airport. We are currently working with airport officials to access our facilities and operational surfaces before resuming service.

The new SLC airport

Currently, SLC is undergoing an expansion and redevelopment project. One of the reasons that the airport is being redeveloped is to meet new earthquake safety standards. The new airport is expected to open later this year in September. The project includes not only upgrades to safety and security standards, but also more room for handling international and domestic flights. This will allow the airport to seek more operations– most likely through Delta Air Lines.

SLC Airport
SLC Airport is undergoing a redevelopment. Photo: SLC Airport

Overall

The situation at Salt Lake City International Airport is fluid. After a 5.7 magnitude earthquake struck the airport, there appears to be damage at the airport and flights are delayed or canceled. Check your flight status before heading to the airport.

Are your flights to or from SLC airport impacted by this earthquake? What is the situation in Salt Lake City like? Let us know in the comments!

Simple Flying reached out to Salt Lake City International Airport and Delta Air Lines for comment. Both were immediately unavailable. The article will be updated as appropriate.