NEWARK, N.J. — Newark Liberty Airport briefly closed all runways Saturday morning due to an “airport emergency,” airport officials tweeted. Flights resumed around 9:45 a.m.
Update 11:00 a.m. EST: Air Transat, an airline based out of Montreal, Canada, confirmed that flight 942 made an emergency landing due to smoke in the cargo hold.
Airline officials tweeted there were no injuries. However, Newark Liberty Airport officials tweeted that there were two "minor injuries unrelated to any smoke condition."
Newark Liberty Airport is reportedly experiencing delays. Inbound flights are delayed for an average of one hour and 10 minutes and outbound flights are delayed for 16 to 30 minutes, according to flightaware.com.
Original report: Newark Liberty airport officials said all flights were grounded Saturday morning due to an "airport emergency."
#EWR, Due to an airport emergency, all runways are currently closed. Please contact your airline for flight status update. [69]
— Newark Liberty Airport (@EWRairport) March 9, 2019
#EWR Flights have resumed. Please contact your airline for flight status update. [70]
— Newark Liberty Airport (@EWRairport) March 9, 2019
The Federal Aviation Administration tweeted that Air Transat flight 942 reported a possible fire in the cargo hold and diverted to Newark Liberty Airport at 8:30 a.m. EST. The aircraft landed and passengers evacuated on the runway using emergency slides, the FAA said. Fire crews responded.
#FAA statement regarding Air Transat Flight 942. pic.twitter.com/1umh1hmCrU
— The FAA (@FAANews) March 9, 2019
The flight originated in Montreal, Canada, and was bound for Fort Lauderdale, Florida, according to the FAA.
Further information hasn’t been released
This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.
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