Flight operations were affected at the Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, the United States of America (USA), on Monday morning after a control tower was evacuated following reports of a burning smell there. The incident happened around 7.30 am (local time), but the ground stop order was lifted after nearly half an hour.
Soon, the controllers also returned to the tower. "Arrivals and departures are temporarily paused at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey after air traffic controllers evacuated the tower because of a burning smell coming from an elevator," the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in a statement.
The incident has happened following a tragic accident at the LaGuardia Airport in New York where an Air Canada regional jet collided with a fire truck on a runway while landing. The incident left the pilot and copilot dead, while the 39 passengers were injured. Though the passengers didn't suffer serious injuries and were rushed to hospitals, with many also being released shortly.
Probe ordered; photos, videos go viral
The incident had happened around 11.30 pm (local time) on Sunday, and it forced the airport to close its operations till 2 am, said an official, adding that the pilot and copilot were based out of Canada. They said that an investigation, led by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), is now being conducted to find more about the incident.
Meanwhile, photos and videos have gone viral on social media that showed the damage at the airport. Many even showed that how passengers were being rescued using stairways by the officials.
Talking about the LaGuardia airport, it is located New York borough of Queens. It is New York's third-busiest airport and served around 33.5 million passengers in 2024, according to AFP. It completed an USD 8 billion redevelopment in 2024, upgrading its aging infrastructure with new terminals and roadways.
