Wildfire smoke impacting flights in New York, New Jersey area

The Federal Aviation Administration slowed flights to and from the New York City area Wednesday amid reduced visibility caused by wildfire smoke from Canada. More than 100 wildfires are burning across the Canadian border in Quebec and Ottawa and the smoke has drifted into the U.S., particularly in the Northeast. 

All flights to LaGuardia Airport in New York have been paused, according to the FAA. Departures have been slowed. Flights to nearby Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey have been slowed. The FAA said traffic is also slowed from the East Coast and Midwest bound for Philadelphia International Airport because of the reduced visibility. There are no current delays or ground stops at John F. Kennedy International Airport. 

“The agency will continue to adjust the volume of traffic to account for the rapidly changing conditions,” an FAA official said. 

People intending to fly Wednesday have been advised to check with their airlines to determine flight statuses. 

There have been 248 delays and 22 cancellations at LaGuardia as of 2:40 p.m., according to tracking website FlightAware. There have been 162 delays and 31 cancellations at Newark. 

A spokesperson for United Airlines said the airline is “monitoring the situation closely and looking out for the safety of our employees who work outside, and adjusting our schedule where needed.”

Wind and haze have been reported in New York, Washington and Philadelphia, according to the FAA’s air traffic report. 

The National Weather Service issued a Marine Dense Smoke Advisory for boaters along parts of New Jersey’s coast. The weather agency warned of visibility issues. 

Both New York and New Jersey issued air quality health advisories for Wednesday. The advisories showed air quality was “unhealthy” across much of the two states.