2,000 Flights Delayed As Canadian Wildfire Brings Travel Misery

More than 2,500 flights have been delayed in the United States as the raging wildfires across Canada cause travel headaches at airports in some of the biggest cities.

Hazy smoke has traveled south and blanketed the skies, which has resulted in huge delays at airports on the East Coast due to low visibility. 

LaGuardia airport in New York is averaging delays of almost two hours, flights at Newark airport are being grounded for around 82 minutes and travelers at Philadelphia airport are facing 29-minute delays. 

The US Federal Aviation Administration slowed down airplane traffic to and from New York City airports this afternoon and aircraft heading to Philadelphia International Airport from the East Coast and Midwest. 

It warned travelers to expect delays of up to two hours as pilots battle the thick smoke clouding the skies. 

Airports warned travelers of the impact of the smoke and urged them to check their flight status with their airline. 

Newark Liberty International Airport told its passengers: 'Low visibility due to smoke conditions in the region is impacting flight arrivals & departures.

Contact your airline to determine flight status.

'Weather conditions have caused LGA Airport flight disruptions. Check with your airline to determine the status of your flight,' LaGuardia Airport told travelers.

Philadelphia International Airport announced: 'Arriving flights to #PHLAirport are currently experiencing delays due to low visibility.

Passengers should check with their airlines for updated flight information.' 

A passenger frustrated with the delays took to Twitter to complain about the situation and wrote: 'The employees can't tell us if we'll be able to fly or not.
my flight keeps getting delayed by a few mins…. it feels. like the first day of Covid when no one knew what was going on/what to do. queens blvd is a ghost town. scarrrrrrrrrryyyyyy.'

Another wrote: 'I never stopped masking so there's that plus, but still.

They've been pausing flights all day because visibility is so bad. They just delayed ours for the second time this afternoon. It's giving they may cancel us.'

A third said: 'Just landed at #Newark airport after flight from #Canada.
Lucky for me my flight was only briefly delayed. Not great visibility enroute & air quality here at the airport is bad.'

The FAA lifted a ground stop for flights heading to LaGuardia due to the smoke but delayed some flights on the ground.  

It added that the extreme smoke lingering over the East Coast could also delay flights in Boston, Baltimore and Washington D.C.

United Airlines said it is 'monitoring the situation closely', and a spokesman for Delta Airlines told CNBC the company is providing workers stationed on the tarmac with extra breaks between aircraft turns.

'We are also watching the forecasts which call for rain in NYC in the days ahead, which should improve the air quality,' it said. 

The delays are set to last until tomorrow evening as the thick plumes of smoke remain. 

The situation could get even worse across the north through Thursday as wildfires continue to burn in Canada.

It could spread again into New York, Philadelphia, Newark, Washington, Richmond, Virginia, and Baltimore, which would add to the very poor air quality.

Visibility and sky conditions will however improve on Friday into Saturday as the winds become more northwesterly, but it will not fully clear the smoke.

Around 100 million residents are facing unhealthy levels of air quality and environmental agencies across the US are warning people to stay indoors following the thick clouds of smoke brought by Canadian wildfires. 

New York City Mayor Eric Adams has urged millions of residents to remain inside due to the hazardous smoke. 

Huge swaths of the nation car service from laguardia to brooklyn the Northeast to the Great Lakes are braced for several more days of smog. 

A thick, nicotine-yellow haze shrouded the famous Big Apple skyline Wednesday as the city became the most polluted in the world, with its Air Quality Index score soaring past 200, which is deemed 'very unhealthy'.

More than a dozen US states and over 100 million people are under air quality alerts, prompting many to start wearing pandemic-era masks.

Health experts warned that breathing the fog can be as damaging as smoking 22 cigarettes a day. 

Nanoparticles from the smog are so small they can penetrate the lungs and bloodstream, with side effects also including irritation to the eyes and throat as well as breathing problems.

Some areas including Indiana and Ohio saw the smoke partially disperse Wednesday morning, other regions such as Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington DC will see the fog remain for several days.

At around 10pm Tuesday, New York briefly set the mark for the worst air pollution in the world, overtaking the Indian capital of Delhi.

According to the IQAir rankings, New York had the worst air pollution of any major city as of Wednesday afternoon, with its air particle (PM2.5) concentration 61 times stronger than the WHO's guidelines.

The city of Detroit was also in the top five metros for the worst air quality on Wednesday morning, with numerous US cities continuing to be plagued by the smog.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams urged vulnerable residents to be cautious amid the crisis, as he also blamed climate change for the yellow skies.

'This may be the first time we've experienced something like this on this magnitude,' he said.

'Let me be clear, it's not the last.'

The city's health advisory warning has since been extended until 8pm Thursday, as officials warned residents to avoid outdoor exposure and stay indoors when possible.

This led to the postponement of Wednesday evening's blockbuster baseball matchup between the New York Yankees and the Chicago White Sox, which the teams said was 'because of poor air quality'.

The match has been rescheduled for Thursday evening.

New York's iconic Broadway shows have also been hit by the smoke, with actor Jodie Comer pulled out of her matinee of Prima Facie on Wednesday due to the smoke. A witness told Deadline she took to the stage ten minutes late, before being replaced by her understudy when she had difficulty breathing.

Much of the smoke pouring into America is from Canada, which has been ravaged by wildfires, especially in the Quebec province.

There are currently 416 active fires across Canada and 240 have been classified by the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center as 'out of control'.

The fires have burned more than 8 million acres - roughly the size of 8 million football fields.