Smoke Scare Grounds Newark Airport Temporarily

Flights were briefly halted at Newark Liberty International Airport due to a burning smell from an elevator. No injuries or fire occurred. FAA personnel moved to a backup control tower, resuming operations within an hour. The temporary halt was unrelated to a fatal accident at LaGuardia Airport.


Devdiscourse News Desk | Newark | Updated: 23-03-2026 18:58 IST | Created: 23-03-2026 18:58 IST
Smoke Scare Grounds Newark Airport Temporarily
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Newark Liberty International Airport experienced a temporary halt of arrivals and departures on Monday morning due to a burning smell emanating from an elevator inside the air traffic control tower, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

The situation prompted the evacuation of air traffic controllers and the relocation of FAA staff to a backup tower, which allowed operations to resume in less than an hour. Fortunately, no fire was detected, and there were no reported injuries.

This incident at Newark was separate from a fatal landing accident at New York's LaGuardia Airport on Sunday night. During that accident, an Air Canada jet struck a fire truck, resulting in the deaths of two individuals and serious injuries to several others.

(With inputs from agencies.)

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