Newark flights resume after burning smell reported in control tower

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FILE - The FAA Air Traffic Control tower at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) in Newark, New Jersey, US, on Monday, Nov. 24, 2025. Photographer: Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg via Getty Images

A ground stop was briefly issued at Newark Liberty International Airport Monday morning after a burning smell was reported in the air traffic control tower. 

The smell and smoke was reported in an elevator in the control tower just before 8 a.m., prompting an evacuation. 

What they're saying:

"Arrivals and departures are temporarily paused at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey after air traffic controllers evacuated the tower because of a burning smell coming from an elevator. It happened around 7:30 a.m. local time on Monday, March 23," according to an FAA statement. 

What happened:

Officials say FAA staff temporarily relocated operations to a backup tower at Newark Liberty International Airport’s Terminal C. They’ve since returned to the primary tower, the Associated Press reported, and the delay lasted less than an hour. 

It wasn't immediately clear what caused the issue, and the agency said it was determined that no fire had occurred. 

Previously:

A ground stop also was issued at Newark airport on Friday, March 20, due to a separate issue of heavy volume inside the airport. 

The FAA said the ground stop was because of the number of people occupying the airport. The airport was seeing "longer than usual" wait times around the time the alert was sent out. 

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Meanwhile:

New York's LaGuardia Airport was also closed Monday until 2 p.m. after an overnight runway crash involving an Air Canada Express flight and an emergency vehicle.

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