FAA Issues Ground Stop at Newark and JFK Airports Following Earthquake

At 10:23 EST (GMT-4), a 4.8 magnitude earthquake with its epicenter near Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, affected the New York metropolitan area and surroundings, with tremors being felt up to 100 kilometers around.

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There is still no official information on the consequences of the earthquake, but the United States Federal Aviation Administration reported at 10:59 local time that it may impact the operability of air traffic control facilities in New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia, and Baltimore, although it emphasized that they are resuming as quickly as possible.

This has caused a ground stop to be established at the two main airports in the New York Metropolitan Area: Newark and JFK.

A 4.8 magnitude earthquake in New Jersey may impact some air traffic facilities in New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia and Baltimore. Air traffic operations are resuming as quickly as possible. For real-time air traffic updates please see: https://t.co/smgdqJN3td.

— The FAA ✈️ (@FAANews) April 5, 2024

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A «ground stop» at an airport is an order issued by air traffic control that temporarily prevents airplanes from taking off or landing at a specific airport or in a region. This measure does not necessarily halt all operations but slows down the flow of air traffic.

During a ground stop, airplanes in flight may be diverted to other airports or held in holding patterns in the air until the order is lifted and the safe resumption of takeoff and landing operations is allowed.

The main goal of a ground stop is to ensure the safety of passengers, crew, and ground personnel, as well as efficiency and order in airport operations.

A user on X reported some cracks in terminal 4 of the JFK airport:

Newly formed cracks are visible at JFK Terminal 4 due to the recent New York City area earthquake. Airport personnel were inspecting them and searching for more. Not sure if the cracks are structural or superficial, but they appear to be at a beam. pic.twitter.com/S54BpBOkCy

— Lower East Side Birder (@LESBirder) April 5, 2024

At 12:30 PM EST, the FAA reported that air traffic operations have resumed at airports affected by today’s earthquacke.

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