FAA imposes ground stops at Newark, JFK

The Federal Aviation Administration imposed ground stops at Newark Liberty International Airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport and Philadelphia International Airport on Thursday, May 21, as severe thunderstorms disrupted traffic across the Northeast. Newark was among the hardest-hit airports, with delays building as storms moved through the region and ahead of the Memorial Day travel rush. Separate disruption at LaGuardia Airport compounded the strain in the New York area after a sinkhole shut one of that airport’s two runways on Wednesday. The FAA and airport operators told travelers to expect delays and check directly with airlines for updated flight status. ### Which airports were hit first, and what did the FAA do? The FAA’s National Airspace System dashboard showed active and forecast traffic-management measures on Thursday, including New York-area constraints and a probable ground stop or delay program at LaGuardia later in the day. The FAA’s public dashboard is the agency’s main real-time source for airport events, delays and forecast restrictions. Yahoo News reported that severe thunderstorms prompted ground stops at Newark, JFK and Philadelphia on Thursday. (nasstatus.faa.gov) The report said Newark’s ground delay was approaching 160 minutes and average departure delays were around one hour as storms swept across the region. ### Why was Newark drawing the most attention? (nasstatus.faa.gov) Newark Liberty was already under close watch because weather-related disruptions were colliding with heavy holiday-period demand. NorthJersey.com reported Thursday that flight disruptions were affecting the region’s busiest airports a day after severe weather and infrastructure problems snarled travel ahead of Memorial Day weekend. (northjersey.com) The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey issued a Memorial Day travel advisory on May 19, underscoring the volume expected across its facilities before the holiday weekend. That broader travel surge raised the stakes for any weather-related slowdown at Newark, JFK or LaGuardia. ### How did LaGuardia’s runway problem make things worse? LaGuardia’s separate runway issue began on Wednesday, May 20, when crews discovered a sinkhole during a daily airfield inspection, according to the Port Authority. (northjersey.com) ABC News reported the sinkhole was near Runway 4/22, one of the airport’s two runways, and that the runway was immediately shut down. (panynj.gov) The FAA said it was slowing flights into LaGuardia because of weather and the sinkhole on Runway 4/22, ABC News reported. The runway was expected to remain closed until at least 6 a.m. Eastern on Thursday, subject to change, while emergency construction and engineering crews worked on repairs. The Port Authority said travelers should expect delays and cancellations and urged them to check with airlines directly, citing forecast thunderstorms on top of the runway closure. (abcnews.com) CNBC reported Delta Air Lines had issued a weather waiver for New York City-area airports, while Southwest said some arrivals would be delayed. ### What were airports and airlines telling travelers? LaGuardia Airport’s alerts page said weather conditions had caused flight disruptions and told passengers to check with their airline for flight status. (abcnews.com) The Port Authority’s alerts page also directed travelers to airport social-media feeds and FAA advisories for the latest operational updates. The FAA’s dashboard remained the clearest public source for whether ground stops, ground delays or departure delays were active or forecast on Thursday. (cnbc.com) Travelers moving through Newark, JFK, Philadelphia or LaGuardia on May 21 could track changes there and through airline rebooking notices as thunderstorms moved across the East Coast. (nasstatus.faa.gov) (laguardiaairport.com)