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By Marni Rose McFall and Toby Meyjes
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A ground stop halting all flights was issued at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey on Monday morning after reports of smoke and a burning smell near the air traffic control tower.
The tower was evacuated and air traffic controllers moved to a backup facility. The ground stop has now been lifted and no injuries have been reported.
A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) spokesperson had said in a statement to Newsweek that arrivals and departures were "temporarily paused" after air traffic controllers "evacuated the tower because of a burning smell coming from an elevator."
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"The evacuation occurred around 7:30 a.m. local time, and personnel returned to the tower around 8:30 a.m. on Monday, March 23," the statement added.
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It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the issue, and the agency said it was determined that no fire had occurred.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said in a statement to Newsweek: "The FAA issued a ground stop when the ATC tower was evacuated due to smoke in an elevator. FAA staff relocated to a temporary tower at EWR’s Terminal C. The staff are in the process of returning to the primary ATC tower."
The issuing of the stop came at a tense moment for air travel in America with long lines at security screenings at many airports because of shortages of Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers amid a partial government shutdown.
President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement will be sent to some locations to assist officers. Newark was on a list of 14 airports where agents were expected to be deployed, according to the New York Times.
About 50,000 TSA workers are working without pay as negotiations between lawmakers and the White House continue.
The incident also came after four airports serving Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Richmond, Virginia, halted all flights for over an hour earlier this month because of a strong chemical smell. Federal Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on X the source of the strong odor was traced to a circuit board that had overheated and was subsequently replaced.
On March 3, a Singapore Airlines jet clipped the tail of a Spirit Airlines plane at Newark Airport. No injuries were reported.
The ground stop was issued after an Air Canada Express jet collided with a fire truck after landing at New York’s LaGuardia Airport late Sunday. Both pilots were killed and dozens were injured, with flights grounded until at least 2 p.m. ET. The two incidents were not related.
Travelers scheduled to pass through Newark Airport on Monday were advised to check for updates and with their airlines as to the status of their flight and any potential delays and cancellations.
This article includes reporting by The Associated Press.
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