Air India has announced the cancellation of all its flights to and from New York and Newark for Tuesday, February 24, citing a blizzard sweeping across the US Northeast.
In a travel advisory issued on Monday, the airline said, “Airport operations at New York and Newark have been affected due to the blizzard, resulting in heavy snowfall.”
In a post on X, Air India said: “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 24 February. Our teams on the ground will be extending support and assistance to all of you who are booked to fly with us on this date. For more information related to this, please connect with our 24×7 Call Centre at +91 11 69329333, +91 11 69329999. You are also requested to check our website: http://airindia.com.”
Thousands of flights cancelled
Air travel was among the earliest sectors affected in the blizzard. Flight-tracking site FlightAware showed more than 5,300 flights cancelled for Monday, reported Reuters.
Aviation analytics firm Cirium said more than 25,000 flights were scheduled to depart from the United States on Monday, with cancellations also rising for Tuesday, especially at major Northeast airports.
Regional carrier Republic Airways, which operates flights for major U.S. airlines, recorded more than 850 cancellations as of Monday morning, according to FlightAware data. JetBlue Airways followed, with nearly 800 flights affected.
The cancellations come as a winter storm disrupts daily life across the northeastern United States, forcing school closures, halting transit systems and grounding thousands of flights.
New York City, home to the country’s largest public school district, ordered all school buildings closed for a traditional snow day. There will be no remote instruction and all after-school programmes have been cancelled.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani declared a state of emergency and ordered non-essential vehicles off city roads from Sunday night to noon Monday. "I'm urging every New Yorker to please stay home," Mamdani said.
City offices will close for in-person services, and non-essential municipal employees may work remotely. The city is under its first blizzard warning since 2017.
NJ TRANSIT suspended bus, light rail and Access Link services Sunday evening and halted statewide rail services by Sunday night, with operations resuming only when conditions allow.
In New England, the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority suspended all services, including its RIde paratransit programme, from Sunday night through Monday and said it would announce resumption plans once conditions improve.
Governors activate emergency measures
New York Governor Kathy Hochul said she has activated 100 National Guard members to assist in Long Island, New York City and the Lower Hudson Valley, areas expected to receive heavy snow and coastal winds.
The storm also forced the closure of the UN headquarters complex in Manhattan.
The Department of Homeland Security said parts of the Northeast could see up to two feet of snow, with wind gusts reaching 70 mph, raising the risk of falling trees and power outages.
In an update on Sunday, the agency said that despite its ongoing funding lapse, the Federal Emergency Management Agency's disaster-response work continues uninterrupted, including staff travel, emergency operations, and critical assistance for people affected by active disasters, with life safety and property protection remaining top priorities.
Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey declared an emergency and told state workers to stay home. Connecticut barred commercial vehicles from limited-access highways on Sunday evening, exempting only emergency and essential deliveries.
New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill declared a statewide emergency effective noon Sunday and urged residents to take the storm seriously. "People need to take this very seriously," she told CNN.
