Air India scraps New York, Newark flights as blizzard batters US East Coast

The move follows a massive winter storm sweeping across the US East Coast, triggering travel bans, school closures and over 7,500 flight cancellations

Tata Group-owned Air India on Monday said it has cancelled its flights to and from New York and Newark scheduled on February 24 due to severe blizzard conditions around the United States (US) East Coast.

 

In a post on X, the airline said, "Airport operations at New York and Newark have been affected due to the blizzard, resulting in heavy snowfall. In view of the safety and well-being of our passengers and crew, Air India flights to and from New York and Newark have been cancelled on February 24". 

 

The latest cancellations come a day after the carrier scrapped all flights to and from New York and Newark on February 23. In a post on Sunday, Air India had said a severe winter storm forecast for New York, New Jersey and surrounding areas on February 22 and 23 was likely to significantly disrupt flight operations.

 

The disruption follows a massive winter storm sweeping across the US East Coast. According to Bloomberg, more than 35 million people across New York City and other regions along the coast are under blizzard warnings, with forecasts of heavy snowfall and strong winds.

 

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani declared a travel ban from 9 pm (local time) on Sunday to Monday noon, shutting streets, highways and bridges to most traffic. Public schools were also ordered to close as parts of the city could receive up to 28 inches of snow, along with strong winds and coastal flooding, the report added.

 

Over 7,500 flights had been called off as of Sunday afternoon (local time) through Tuesday due to weather conditions. Most of the cancellations were reported in New York, Boston, Newark and Philadelphia.