Newark airport cancels hundreds of flights ahead of Labor Day due to Ida flooding
Newark Liberty International airport canceled hundreds of flights on Thursday as the travel hub dealt with flooding caused by the remnants of Hurricane Ida, which tore through the region overnight causing flash flooding and killing at least 9 people in New York City and northern New Jersey.
“The storm has passed but our crews are working diligently to clear residual flooding & return ops to normal. As of now, 370 flights are canceled today at #EWR,” the airport tweeted Thursday morning.
“Passengers are strongly urged to check with their carriers before heading to the airport.”
The airport canceled 102 flights, or 21 percent of scheduled trips, on Wednesday, leaving travelers stranded at the airport as the storm battered the area, according to data from Flight Aware. It delayed another 120.
“We’re experiencing severe flooding due to tonight’s storm. All flight activity is currently suspended & travelers are strongly advised to contact their airline for the latest flight & service resumption information. Passengers are being diverted from ground-level flooded areas,” the airport said on Twitter Wednesday evening.
Departures to Newark International were briefly grounded late Wednesday night, according to the Federal Aviation Administration’s website.
The air traffic control tower was evacuated at one point because of a tornado warning, according to the FAA. Controllers returned to the tower around 10 p.m. ET, but flights bound for the region’s three major airports were being held.
At John F. Kennedy International Airport, just 20 flights were canceled as of Thursday morning, the airport tweeted.
The travel headaches come just days before Labor Day weekend when tens of millions of Americans are expected to take to the roads and the skies for the holiday weekend.
The Port Authority, which operates the Newark airport as well as JFK and LaGuardia, did not immediately return The Post’s request for comment on the cancelations.
