Simple Flying
Josh Eyre
23 Feb 2026
Air traffic across New York City has collapsed during a major winter storm after flight activity at LaGuardia Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport fell to near zero, reports CNBC.
Airlines canceled the overwhelming majority of scheduled operations as snow, ice, and strong winds made safe ground handling impossible. The disruption peaked during the height of the storm, when aircraft movement effectively came to a halt. The severity of the breakdown has renewed concerns about the airports' ability to function effectively during extreme winter weather.
New York’s primary airports operate within some of the tightest physical limits of any major US aviation market. Surrounded by water and dense development, both facilities have limited flexibility when runways or taxiways are compromised. Severe winter weather amplifies these constraints, often forcing airlines to shut down schedules entirely rather than operate partial service. This event has raised broader questions about whether current infrastructure and operating models can keep pace with increasingly disruptive storms.
