LaGuardia flights delayed, ground stop issued due to smoke

Flights into LaGuardia Airport were delayed an average of two hours on Wednesday, and federal authorities briefly issued a ground stop for the airport in the afternoon.

The ground stop was lifted at 2 p.m., but flight headaches continued throughout the day due to low visibility.

The Federal Aviation Administration and New York airport officials were trying to deal with wildfire smoke that has hung over the five boroughs for more than 24 hours.

Flights leaving LaGuardia were also delayed by 30 minutes on average, according to the FAA.

In addition to the mess at LaGuardia, flights into Newark-Liberty International were also delayed an average of 80 minutes throughout the morning and early afternoon.

New York’s air quality Wednesday afternoon was ranked worst in the world by a significant margin, according to international monitors.

The hazardous air conditions were caused by a series of wildfires in southeast Canada. Toronto’s air quality ranked fourth-worst among large cities on Wednesday afternoon, and Detroit was also in the top 20.

New Yorkers first noticed the off-color air on Tuesday, and experts predicted the city would be dealing with hazardous air throughout the week. Wednesday was expected to be the worst day.

“All New Yorkers should limit outdoor activity to the greatest extent possible,” Mayor Adams said.

While LaGuardia and Newark were engulfed in chaos, flights operations at Kennedy Airport continued as usual. JFK’s public relations team said rumors that the airport had been closed were “totally not true.”