Canada wildfire smoke again slows flights to the Eastern U.S.

June 08, 2023
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People take photos of the sun in Central Park as smoke from wildfires in Canada causes hazy conditions in New York City, June 7, 2023.

Smoke from Canada wildfires could disrupt flights in the Eastern U.S. again Thursday after hundreds were delayed a day earlier due to decreased visibility, the Federal Aviation Administration said.

"The FAA will likely need to take steps to manage the flow of traffic safely into New York City, [Washington] DC, Philadelphia and Charlotte [North Carolina] due to reduced visibility from wildfire smoke," the agency said.

Inbound traffic to Philadelphia International Airport was paused until 9:15 a.m., the FAA said.

Hundreds of flights to and from LaGuardia Airport in New York and nearby Newark Liberty International Airport were delayed Wednesday due to the heavy smoke. The FAA had briefly paused traffic altogether into LaGuardia during the day.

As of about 9:15 a.m. ET on Thursday, more than 800 flights to, from and within the the U.S. were delayed, according to flight tracker FlightAware.

Nearly 50 departures from LaGuardia, or 8% of the schedule, were delayed Thursday as of 9:15 a.m., according to FlightAware.

This story is developing. Please check back for updates.

Source: CNBC