During the week of June 5, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has taken actions to slow traffic to and from various airports in the Northeastern United States due to worsening air quality and low visibility conditions caused by wildfire smoke.
A warm and dry spring in many parts of Canada has provided fuel for hundreds of wildfires that are currently burning across the country — from the east to the west coast. As of June 8, there were a total of 432 active fires in Canada – 236 of which were labeled as “out of control.” The smoke from these wildfires has made its way down to various states in the northeastern U.S., with the worst conditions covering the densely populated area between Chicago and New York City.
While smoke impacts the safe operations of aircraft, the FAA has been using Twitter to provide updates regarding air traffic delays. On the morning of June 8, the administration said: “Reduced visibility from wildfire smoke will continue to impact air travel today. We will likely need to take steps to manage the flow of traffic safely into New York City, D.C., Philadelphia, and Charlotte.”
Why does smoke cause more flight delays than other weather-related conditions like rain or fog? The FAA’s Kevin Morris explained: “When aircraft need to land during periods of poor visibility, they rely on advanced navigation systems both onboard the aircraft and on the ground. These systems work well through water droplets, but can be less effective through solid particles such as smoke and ash.
“Therefore, during periods of low visibility due to smoke, air traffic controllers and pilots need to take additional safety precautions,” continued Morris. “This includes greater distances between arriving and departing aircraft, as well as limiting the types of aircraft that may land based on their navigation equipment.”
Numerous photos have emerged online recently showing New York City shrouded in an amber-colored haze. Many communities have been urged to stay indoors until safer air quality conditions return.
In the meantime, the FAA has said it will “continue to adjust the volume of traffic [at affected airports] to account for the rapidly changing conditions.”
