Wildfire Smoke Continues to Prompt Flight Delays at US Airports
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced that the ground stop for flights to and from New York City’s LaGuardia airport have been lifted, but delays remain an issue due to wildfire smoke.
According to FlightAware.com, more than 1,200 flights within, into or out of the U.S. have been delayed, as of 11:15 a.m. ET on Thursday. Yesterday, 5,796 flights were delayed.
FAA officials said flights into Philadelphia International Airport have been impacted, with the average delay of 30 minutes. Newark Liberty International Airport is also dealing with delayed departures.
“The FAA has slowed traffic to and from the New York City area airports due to reduced visibility from wildfire smoke,” the FAA said in a statement. “The agency will adjust the volume of traffic to account for the rapidly changing conditions.”
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Two New York City airports have been issued ground delays and ground stops by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as smoke from Canada’s wildfires poured into the city beginning on Tuesday and worsening over Wednesday, June 7.
LaGuardia International Airport is currently under a ground stop by the FAA, to be finished by 10:59 p.m. on Wednesday. FlightAware is reporting over 160 delays to and from the airport. Departure delays are delayed around 30 to 45 minutes, while inbound flights have been delayed an average of just under two hours.
At Newark Liberty International Airport, the FAA enforced a ground delay beginning at 11:13 a.m. on Wednesday. An estimated end to the delay is also 10:59 p.m. on Wednesday. Inbound flights are delayed an average of 82 minutes, according to the FAA’s alert. FlightAware is reporting 107 delayed inbound flights.
The FAA’s statement on Twitter reads, “The FAA has slowed traffic to and from New York City area airports due to reduced visibility from wildfire smoke. The agency will continue to adjust the volume of traffic to account for the rapidly changing conditions.”
New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport is not currently under a ground stop or ground delay, though FlightAware is reporting 76 delays and six cancellations at the airport today.
Photos from New York Metro Weather’s Twitter account showcases how thick the smoke in New York City looks; the view of the city skyline, including the One World Trade Center in the middle of the photo, is nearly invisible in the brown smoke.
New York City’s air quality is currently the worst in the world. The IQAir World Air Quality Index rated the city at 342 (as of 1:30 p.m.), hazardous for everyone, including visibility for aircraft.