Newark Airport Experiences Temporary Closure Due to Aircraft Emergency

Newark Liberty International Airport was briefly shut down on Wednesday night following an “aircraft emergency,” which grounded all flights for roughly an hour.

Travel advisories were issued by major airports. In a statement on X, it was noted that “All flight operations have been temporarily suspended while the aircraft is removed from the taxiway following a prior incident.”

The New Jersey airport had initially planned to close from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET, as reported, but reopened shortly after 7 p.m.

A JetBlue flight, destined for West Palm Beach, Florida, faced trouble shortly after departure. It was grounded between 5:42 p.m. and 7 p.m. due to engine issues, confirmed by the airline.

The aircraft took off from Newark but had to return, landing approximately 40 minutes later.

The FAA’s preliminary statement indicated that JetBlue Flight 543 “landed safely” around 6 p.m. after the crew reported “smoke in the cockpit and evacuated passengers via a slide.”

Videos from stranded travelers on the taxiway depicted emergency response vehicles gathered near the plane.

Another clip recorded by a passenger showed the evacuation of people as firefighters guided them towards the terminal.

While operations were temporarily halted for evacuation, flights from Newark continued to experience delays of about an hour even after service resumed, according to the FAA.

JetBlue announced it would coordinate with federal authorities to investigate the incident further.