Chicago airports nearly back to normal after fire

The FAA said O’Hare and Midway airports are operating at 99 percent and 95 percent, respectively.    Airline traffic at Chicago O’Hare International Airport climbed to 99 percent of normal Monday, according to the Federal Aviation Administration, while airline traffic at Midway International Airport reached 95 percent.
   The FAA has been working to return the two airports to normal operations after a fire at the Chicago En Route Center in Aurora, Ill., on Sept. 26 threw a wrench into Chicago airport traffic flows.
   Last weekend, agency officials helped to remove damaged equipment and debris from the facility in anticipation of installing new communications cabling. Previously, the agency had set a mid-October date for the normal return of operations. But Monday, the FAA noted a few problems that halted a few flights into the city.
   “The FAA briefly delayed departures this afternoon for flights headed to O’Hare or Midway from Canada and Midwestern airports because of problems with several phone lines between the Chicago Terminal Radar Approach Control facility in Elgin, Ill., and the FAA’s adjoining en route centers,” the agency said.