Smoke from Canada’s wildfires blanketed New York City on Wednesday, June 7, 2023.
Leslie Josephs/CNBC
Smoke from wildfires in Canada delayed hundreds of flights at New York-area and Philadelphia airports on Wednesday as haze blanketed the region and obscured visibility.
The FAA had previously suspended flights to New York’s LaGuardia Airport for a short time.
“The agency will adjust traffic volumes to accommodate rapidly changing conditions,” the FAA said.
Smoke moving south from wildfires in Canada blanketed the New York City area Tuesday through Wednesday, affecting air quality and forcing residents indoors. As of Wednesday afternoon, the city ranked fourth in the world for the worst air quality readings, with a score of IQAir World Air Quality Index of 158, a value considered unhealthy for all residents.
According to the flight tracking site, more than 4,800 U.S. flights were delayed around 9:20 p.m. ET FlightAware.
According to FlightAware, LaGuardia Airport had 230 departures, 40% of the day’s schedule, and 264 arrivals, or 46%, delayed. Nearly a third of flights into Newark Liberty International Airport were delayed, meaning 204 flights and another 186 departures were delayed.
Flights to LaGuardia were delayed an average of about two hours in the afternoon, and flights to Newark were delayed an average of 82 minutes, the FAA said. New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport also reported both arrival and departure delays.
Nearly 670 United Airlines flights, 24% of the flight schedule, were delayed. Newark is one of the airline’s main hubs.
United said in a statement that they are “closely monitoring the situation, keeping an eye on the safety of our employees who work outside and adjusting our schedule where necessary.”
A Delta Air Lines spokesman told CNBC that the airline has protective equipment in place for staff.
“And those working on the tarmac will be taken to the break rooms between aircraft rotations,” the spokesman said. “We are also monitoring the forecasts for rain in New York in the coming days, which should improve air quality.”
A spokesman for American Airlines said the company is ensuring ramp workers have access to vehicles between flights, as well as other supplies such as water and masks.
– CNBC’s Emma Newburger contributed to this report.
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