Traffic disruptions were reported at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey on Wednesday following an engine failure on a JetBlue flight heading to Florida. The incident involved flight 543, which was forced to return shortly after takeoff due to smoke appearing in the cockpit. Upon landing, passengers and crew evacuated the Airbus A320 using emergency slides on a taxiway.
Fortunately, there were no reported injuries among those on board. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is currently investigating the cause of the incident, though specific details have not yet been released.
In response to the emergency situation, the FAA temporarily halted some incoming flights to Newark Airport. Operations experienced a significant impact, with flight tracking service FlightAware indicating that 183 incoming flights, representing about 31% of arrivals, were delayed, along with 177 departing flights, comprising 30% of the departures.
Reports from CBS and ABC confirmed that flight operations were paused both to and from the airport while the JetBlue aircraft was cleared from the runway. The flight was originally scheduled to land in West Palm Beach, Florida.
JetBlue has stated that safety remains their top priority and emphasized their commitment to supporting affected customers and crew members. The airline will cooperate with federal authorities throughout the investigation to ensure a thorough examination of the incident.
