The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has slowed movements into airports in New York due to reduced visibility caused by wildfires.
The FAA said the following in a statement on social media:
“The FAA has slowed traffic to and from New York City area airports due to reduced visibility from wildfire smoke.”
“The agency will continue to adjust the volume of traffic to account for the rapidly changing conditions.”
Movements are still heading into airports within New York, but are being held at a limited rate as too many movements could cause significant danger to other aircraft.
It is understood the reduced visibility within the area has been caused by wildfires that are currently ongoing in Canada.
The smoke has spread to New York City, with smog expected to be in place for the next few days due to the high velocity of these wildfires in Canada.
The wildfires in Canada have started earlier than expected this year, with firefighting resources currently exhausted.
For people in New York, children have had to be kept inside, and if people do need to leave their homes, to wear masks to protect their breathing.
It is unclear when this is set to end, with the FAA set to keep an eye on such conditions, with movements being potentially limited throughout the whole Summer rather than a certain period of time.
Politicians in New York have warned the public to “prepare for this over the long haul”.
There will be more to follow on this. This is a developing story.
Updates From The Wildfire Smoke Consuming New York’s Airports…
UPDATE #1 @ 2004 UK time – Images seen above from a passenger landing at Newark Airport – it’s clear the effect of the reduced visibility within New York.
UPDATE #2 @ 2006 UK time – It is not just New York now that is having its traffic slowed. The East Coast and Midwest flights bound for Philadelphia are now affected.
UPDATE #3 @ 2022 UK time – The video above shows how quickly the wildfire smoke consumed New York, which shows why the FAA has limited movements into the city.
UPDATE #4 @ 2027 UK time – Courtesy of RadarBox, here are some of the delays that have been caused in New York’s Newark.
UPDATE #5 @ 2028 UK time – Same again from RadarBox, but for New York’s John F Kennedy International Airport!
UPDATE #6 @ 2029 UK time – And once again, here are some of the delays out of LaGuardia following the wildfire smoke consuming the city.
UPDATE #7 @ 2042 UK time – Queue management at New York JFK is looking sufficient considering the deteriorated conditions.
UPDATE #8 @ 2045 UK time – Visibility appears to be worsening within the New York area – Not sure how this will affect traffic movement rates.
UPDATE #9 @ 2048 UK time – Based on the most recent METARs from RadarBox, New York’s Newark has the least amount of visibility, at 1/2sm.
