Flight chaos at New Jersey airport after control tower evacuation over burning smell warning.
Thousands of flights were grounded and delayed as emergency crews evacuated the Newark Liberty International Airport's air traffic control center following reports of a "burning" odor inside the facility, causing significant disruption to travelers in early March 2017. While initial ground stops halted operations entirely due to safety concerns regarding potential fire hazards within the tower structure, authorities later confirmed that flights had resumed once conditions were deemed secure and normal air traffic control services could be restored on-site.
Key Points
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1Newark Liberty International Airport grounded thousands of flights and halted arrivals/departures following emergency evacuation.
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2Air traffic control personnel left their post after reporting a 'burning smell' originating from an elevator within the tower on Monday morning.
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3The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed that no fire had occurred, though the exact cause of the odor remained unclear initially before being resolved.
Developments
Newark Liberty International Airport temporarily suspended flights after air traffic controllers evacuated due to an elevator fire smell that lasted less than an hour without causing injuries or actual fires; officials confirmed this incident was unrelated to a separate fatal accident at LaGuardia where 41 people were hospitalized.
An emergency evacuation of an air traffic control tower due to smoke reports caused a ground stop that lasted from 7:50 am ET until approximately 8:40 am at Newark Liberty International Airport. This disruption triggered significant delays, with the number of affected flights rising sharply and impacting major airspace regions across North America just hours after another deadly crash occurred nearby.
Newark Liberty International Airport temporarily halted flights for less than an hour after air traffic controllers evacuated due to a burning smell from the elevator, with no fire or injuries reported. This incident was unrelated but occurred shortly before another fatal crash at LaGuardia involving Jazz Aviation flight 3170 and Port Authority truck personnel in Queens.