The airports in New York are returning to normal: view the picture of the aircraft movement

This morning, when the sky started to clear and the temperatures rose a little, the maintenance crews at the airports started working around the clock to prepare the runways. The complex task included not only clearing snow but also handling thick layers of ice that formed on the planes and work surfaces. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announced that the routes were open, but stressed that passengers must check their flight status with the airlines before leaving home. In the meantime, the public transportation systems connecting the airports, such as the “Airtrain” at Kennedy Airport and Newark, have also begun to return to limited activity after being shut down during the height of the storm.

The severe disruptions did not spare the international flights, including the routes to Israel. Many flights of El Al and American companies on the New York Tel Aviv route were canceled or delayed in the last two days, which created a heavy load at the airports when they reopened. Aviation industry officials point out that getting back to normal is a huge logistical challenge, as planes and crews are not in the right locations due to the widespread cancellations. Although the routes are clear, schedules are expected to suffer significant delays at least until the end of this week.

The economic impact of the closure is estimated in the millions of dollars, both due to the loss of revenue for the airlines and due to the high costs of snow removal and compensation for passengers. The major airlines, including Delta, United and American Airlines, have published special instructions allowing passengers to change the date of their flight without additional payment, as part of an attempt to regulate the expected loads in the coming days. It appears that the aviation system will need several days of continuous activity to clear the resulting backlog.

At the same time as the recovery efforts, forecasters in the United States are anxiously monitoring another winter system making its way from the direction of the Great Seas. Although it does not currently appear to be a storm of similar intensity, any additional precipitation of snow may complicate the evacuation work that has already been carried out and cause additional delays. The crews at the airports are preparing for the possibility of another cold wave that will require increased use of ice melting materials.

The passengers who arrived at the airports this morning encountered long lines and busy service counters. Many of them had to spend the last nights in nearby hotels or on benches in the terminals, waiting for an update on their flight. The general feeling is one of relief that the white siege is over, along with an understanding that it will take some more time until the flights take off and land exactly according to the clock. The main effort at the moment is to transfer the passengers whose flights were canceled in the last two days, while maintaining the safety of the flight in weather conditions that are still considered challenging.