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)
RISKIN REPORTS
CTVNews.ca Top Stories

Thousands of premature cancer deaths in women could have been prevented: researchers
Prevention could have prevented nearly seven in 10 premature cancer deaths among women worldwide in 2020, new research has found.
'Continuous' masking returning to B.C. hospitals, clinics, care homes
Some health-care workers in British Columbia have started receiving notification that they will once again be expected to wear masks in medical settings, but the language is ambiguous about what exactly will be required and for whom.
Here's where the record-breaking Lotto 6/49 Gold Ball ticket was sold
The location where a historic lottery ticket was sold was revealed Thursday morning.
Man arrested in killing of 26-year-old U.S. entrepreneur whose tech startup earned her national recognition
A man was arrested in the killing of a Baltimore tech entrepreneur who had built a successful startup that earned her national recognition, police said early Thursday.
1940-2023 Michael Gambon, who played Dumbledore, dies aged 82
British-Irish actor Michael Gambon, best known to global audiences for playing the wise professor Albus Dumbledore in the 'Harry Potter' movie franchise and whose career was launched by his mentor Laurence Olivier, died aged 82 on Thursday.
3 killed in shootings and an explosion as deadly violence continues in Sweden
Three people were killed overnight in separate incidents in Sweden as deadly violence linked to a feud between criminal gangs escalated.
GameStop names billionaire as CEO in turnaround push
GameStop named billionaire Ryan Cohen as its CEO and chairman on Thursday, tightening the activist investor's grip on the ailing brick-and-mortar videogame retailer that he intends to turn around.
PM Trudeau apologizes for Parliament's recognition of Nazi veteran during Zelenskyy visit
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau offered 'unreserved apologies' Wednesday for Parliament's recognition of a man who fought for a Nazi unit during the Second World War and said the Canadian government has reached out to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the wake of the incident.
Reconciliation and reckoning as Nisga'a totem pole returns to B.C. from Scotland museum
A homecoming celebration for a memorial totem pole after an absence of almost 100 years will resonate far beyond the tiny Indigenous village in northwest British Columbia where it is being returned Friday.