Control tower at the Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey of the United States was evacuated and officials ordered a ground stop following reports of smoke. The airport also halted all departures from the international airport after smoke and burning smell were reported from an elevator at the Newark airport.
This is the second time in a day that two of New York’s main hubs were knocked out after an accident at LaGuardia Airport, suspending services there.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in a statement that the ground stop was scheduled until at least 8:30 am local time and later extended by an hour.
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“Arrivals and departures are temporarily paused at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey after air traffic controllers evacuated the tower because of a burning smell coming from an elevator,” the FAA said.
The suspension adds to chaos on the ground and in the air as long lines caused by the partial government shutdown have delayed passengers over the past several weeks. The overnight suspension of operations at LaGuardia also meant that traffic will have been elevated at the two other fields, which include John F. Kennedy International Airport.
According to the reports, the ground stop has been lifted.
Incident at LaGuardia The incident came on the day an Air Canada Express jet collided with a fire truck while it was landing at New York's LaGuardia airport. Both pilots were killed and dozens were injured, forcing the facility closure, the authorities said.
The airport was shut down and air traffic was diverted.
Images that circulated on the social media showed an Air Canada plane tilted on its tail with the nose of the aircraft ripped off. Mint has not been able to verify the images.
Earlier this month, four airports serving Washington, DC, Baltimore and Richmond, Virginia, halted all flights for over an hour because of a strong chemical smell that was impeding air traffic controllers. Federal Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the source of the strong odor was traced to a circuit board that overheated and was replaced.
The temporary pause at Newark Liberty was not related to a fatal accident at New York’s LaGuardia Airport on Sunday night. In that episode, two people were killed and several others were seriously injured when an Air Canada regional jet struck a fire truck on a runway while landing, officials said.