Flights at Newark Liberty International Airport were disrupted Monday morning by a burning smell in a control tower that caused controllers to evacuate the building.
Controllers evacuated the tower around 7:30 a.m. after staff detected smoke coming from an elevator in the tower. The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed that there was no active fire, but the burning odor prompted immediate evacuation protocols.
New Jersey Digest said air traffic controllers were relocated to a backup facility on site to avert a complete shutdown. Controllers began moving back to the main tower by 8:30 a.m. after the burning smell dissipated and flights resumed shortly after.
As of 11:06 a.m. Monday morning, there were 152 total delays at Newark Liberty and eight cancellations, according to FlightAware. Seventy-three, or 13%, of United Airlines flights were delayed and two were cancelled. Spirit had seven flights delayed, or 11%, and 8%, or 11 flights, were canceled.
The Newark tower incident came as the nation’s airports were starting to feel the effects of the partial government shutdown as travelers looking to get away during spring break face significant disruptions. Transportation security officer absences leaped as workers work without pay amid the partial government shutdown.
Absences among Transportation Security Administration workers reached their highest over the weekend since the partial shutdown began five weeks ago, according to Department of Homeland Security. The agency said more than a third of TSA staff at airports in Houston, New York City, and Atlanta were absent or called in sick.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have begun deploying at some U.S. airports, the DHS announced.
