Skip to main content

Wildfire smoke from Canada disrupts New York, Philadelphia flights

Some flights into the New York City area and Philadelphia on Wednesday were delayed and others briefly halted because of reduced visibility from wildfire smoke from Canada.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was slowing traffic but lifted a groundstop on flights from the upper Midwest and East Coast bound for New York LaGuardia International Airport on Wednesday afternoon.

The FAA said it had also begun slowing traffic from the East Coast and Midwest bound for Philadelphia International Airport due to reduced visibility from wildfire smoke. The FAA said there were average delays of 29 minutes.

United, the largest carrier at Newark, said it was adjusting its schedule as needed, while Delta, the biggest at LaGuardia, said it does not expect cancellations at the moment from the visibility issues.

Hundreds of forest fires in Canada have led to a blanket of smoky air, triggering health alarms in U.S. cities.

The FAA said Newark was currently experiencing delays averaging 82 minutes while average LaGuardia ground delays are about two hours and departure delays are about 30 minutes.

The New York City area has the most congested airspace in the United States.

(Reporting by David Shepardson in Washington; Editing by Chris Reese, Lisa Shumaker and Deepa Babington)

 

 

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

India tells Canada to withdraw 41 diplomats, report says

India has told Canada that it must repatriate 41 diplomats by Oct. 10, the Financial Times reported. Ties between India and Canada have become strained over Canadian suspicion that Indian government agents had a role in the June murder in Canada of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

What you need to know about the election of a new Speaker

On Tuesday, MPs will be electing a new Speaker of the House of Commons, in the wake of Anthony Rota's resignation. It will be a day for the Canadian political history books, as well as a day full of pomp and procedure. Here's what you need to know about the role, the contenders, and the process.

Stay Connected