Smoke from wildfires that cast a sickly pale tint on major cities in the eastern United States on Thursday disrupted air travel, causing headaches for major air hubs and derailing the plans of thousands of travelers.
As of Thursday afternoon, at least 415 flights across the country were delayed and eight more were canceled, according to flight-tracking service FlightAware.com.
Follow live coverage of air quality in the US and wildfires in Canada
Federal Aviation Administration said thursday morning All flights to Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey have been delayed nationwide. Some flights to New York’s LaGuardia Airport were also delayed.
The agency warned that delays could also occur at John F. Kennedy International Airports in Charlotte, North Carolina, Dallas, Philadelphia, and New York City.
According to FlightAware’s “MiseryMap,” LaGuardia and Denver International Airports experienced the most significant disruption as of 1 p.m. ET on Thursday.
“Due to reduced visibility from wildfire smoke, it is likely that steps will need to be taken to safely manage the flow of traffic to New York City, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and Charlotte,” the FAA said in a statement. Stated.
FAA’s Sam Orsby said in a video on Twitter, “As aircraft approach airports, they must slow down to maintain safety and check runways and taxiways, delays for the following reasons: may occur,” he said. Or “
The agency said the travel advisory would change as weather conditions change on the day.
Air quality was dangerous in many major cities along the East Coast on Thursday. According to Swiss monitoring service IQAir.com, New York City’s air quality was the worst in the world at 183 on the Air Quality Index scale.
Detroit’s air quality was the fourth worst in the world as of 9:30 a.m. ET, hovering around 121 on the index.
This is a developing story. Please refresh to check for updates.
