Flooding Prompts United To Suspend Newark Airport Operations

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The chaos caused by Hurricane Ida continues to impact airports and passengers in the US. Latest reports suggest that the flooding caused by the extreme weather has led United Airlines to ground all flights at Newark airport. New Jersey state is currently in a state of emergency.

United Airlines has temporarily suspended operations at Newark Airport due to extreme weather. Photo: Getty Images

All passengers traveling to Newark airport have been advised to check the status of flights with their airline after Hurricane Ida caused widespread flooding. Images and videos on social media show the entire baggage reclaim area at Newark Airport underwater. The parking lots were closed yesterday after further flooding, and flights have been disrupted for several days.

Newark International Airport actually suspended all operations as flooding made access to terminals inaccessible. However, the suspension was only temporary as the airport resumed operations shortly in the early hours of this morning.  However, the hurricane has passed the area, so staff is working to clear a backlog of delayed and canceled flights.

Major disruption will continue

Although the airport is now open, United has temporarily suspended all flights. It’s likely other airlines will also operate a limited service. All airlines and the airport advise passengers traveling within the next day to check the status of flights before traveling to the airport. In a statement, United confirmed,

“Our teams at Newark are working to assist our customers, and we expect to resume flights later this afternoon depending on conditions at the time. We encourage customers with travel plans today in the Newark/New York area to check their flight status at United.com or via the mobile app before heading to the airport. We also have an updated travel waiver available on our website to enable customers impacted by the storm to make alternate travel plans.”

So far, at least 360 flights have been canceled. With passengers still needing to travel, it’s likely disruption will continue for several days at least. The airport is now working hard to get things back to normal. The parking lots have now reopened, and the airport is resuming operations as normal.

United 787-10
All the major East Coast airports have been affected by the storm although things are now returning to normal. Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

Nearby airports also affected

Newark has been circulating on social media, thanks to the flooding in the baggage hall. However, both New York’s JFK airport and LaGuardia airport have also been affected by the weather. Both airports temporarily closed as flying in the storm was considered unsafe. The extent of disruption was much less than at Newark. At JFK, just 20 flights were canceled, and the storm passed nearby.

People initially thought that the airport sustained major damage after smoke was seen coming from the airport. However, officials confirmed this was a scheduled live-fire training exercise.

Disruption at the major east coast airport has come just in time for the weekend before labor day on September 6th. The major busy days will come next week. But airlines and airports across the US are experiencing higher passenger numbers due to the holiday. Hopefully, the storm hasn’t affected too many holiday plans.

Has Hurricane Ida impacted your travel plans? We’d love to hear from you if it has. Get in touch in the comments section.



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