FAA delays flights into New York area as smoke spreads    

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) delayed flights into the New York area due to wildfire smoke continuing to cloud the region.  

The FAA delayed flights into New York City and Newark, N.J., after it temporarily stopped flights headed for Philadelphia International Airport and LaGuardia Airport. The ground stop at LaGuardia was lifted at 7:45 a.m. Thursday, while the Philadelphia ground stop was lifted at 9:15 a.m. 

“Smoke from Canada’s wildfires is affecting visibility in our airspace and leading to delays. The FAA is fully prepared to modify operations as needed,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a Wednesday statement. 

The LaGuardia ground stop was downgraded to a ground delay, with departures to the airport being delayed an average of 54 minutes due to low visibility. The FAA also delayed departures to Newark International Airport, which had an average delay time of 34 minutes.  

Ground delays at both airports are set to expire at 9:59 p.m. Thursday.  

The FAA’s air traffic report states the wildfire smoke may cause delays Thursday across eight airports in New York, Philadelphia, Washington and Charlotte, N.C. This comes after the FAA issued a ground stop for LaGuardia on Wednesday night.  

“Reduced visibility from wildfire smoke will continue to impact air travel today. We will likely need to take steps to manage the flow of traffic safely into New York City, DC, Philadelphia and Charlotte,” the FAA said in a Thursday statement.  

More than 400 wildfires in Canada have prompted air quality warnings across parts of the United States this week, with many areas reporting “very unhealthy” or “hazardous” levels of air quality.