Newark airport grounds flights as burning smell triggers control tower evacuation

NEWARK, NEW JERSEY: Flights at Newark Liberty International Airport were temporarily halted on Monday morning, March 23, after the airport’s air traffic control tower was evacuated, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

In a statement, the FAA said arrivals and departures were paused after controllers evacuated the tower because of “a burning smell coming from an elevator.” The agency said the evacuation took place at around 7.30 am EDT.

The disruption briefly brought operations to a standstill at one of the New York region’s busiest airports and came against the backdrop of continuing concern over air traffic disruptions in the area.

Fresh disruption at troubled airport

The latest halt at Newark follows a turbulent period for the airport last spring, when delays and cancellations severely affected operations.

In late April, air traffic controllers temporarily lost contact with planes approaching and departing Newark, triggering widespread delays and cancellations and throwing flight schedules into disarray.

That earlier communications blackout had already raised questions about the resilience of the airport’s traffic management systems.

Regional aviation system under scrutiny

Monday’s evacuation also came just hours after a deadly accident at LaGuardia International Airport, another major hub in the New York area.

Late Sunday, two pilots were killed when a jet collided with a fire truck on a runway at LaGuardia.

The aircraft was attempting to land when it struck the emergency vehicle, which had been crossing the runway in response to an incident involving a United Airlines flight, according to Kathryn Garcia, executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

The crash involved a Jazz Aviation flight operating on behalf of Air Canada. Authorities said 41 passengers were hospitalized, while the pilot and co-pilot were killed.

The back-to-back incidents at two major regional airports are likely to intensify scrutiny of operational safety and emergency response procedures across the New York metropolitan air travel network.