A headache-inducing closure caused by an electrical panel failure at JFK Airport in Queens continued into its second day on Friday, officials said, freezing flights into and out of a terminal that serves international travel.
New York’s largest airport said the air traffic closure in Terminal 1 would last at least through Friday. But the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which runs the airport, said in a statement that officials expected to resume “limited operations” in the terminal on Saturday.
“The Port Authority continues to work with Terminal 1′s operator to complete repairs, restore power and resume flight operations,” Alana Calmi, a spokeswoman for the Port Authority, said in the statement. “Travelers should continue to check with their carriers for flight status before coming to Terminal 1.”
On Thursday, the Port Authority said an electrical misfire had caused a small overnight fire and downed power across Terminal 1.
The chaos in the 11-gate terminal has upended travel plans for thousands of people, forced some incoming international flights to divert toward other destinations and caused dozens of delays and cancellations.
One flight from New Zealand to New York turned around in midair, returning to Auckland in a 16-hour flight that went nowhere, according to Flightradar24, an air traffic tracker.
Air New Zealand said that landing the plane at another American airport would have forced the aircraft to loiter on the ground for multiple days, hampering other scheduled flights. Customers on the flight into New York were rebooked, the airline said.
“We apologise for the inconvenience and thank our customers for their patience and understanding,” Air New Zealand said in a statement.
But passengers remained in limbo in New York. The Port Authority said 39 of 64 scheduled arrivals and departures at Terminal 1 on Friday were canceled.
Thirteen of the scheduled Friday flights ran through other terminals at JFK Airport, and 12 operated through other airports in the region, the Port Authority said.
JFK Airport tweeted Friday morning that it would “provide an update as soon as information is available,” but offered little insight to stranded travelers.
Terminal 1 serves international airlines including Air France, Japan Airlines and Korean Air. The four-story terminal opened in 1998, and has been due for a renovation — a planned restoration has been delayed by the pandemic.
Despite its rocky reputation and infamously sluggish security lines, Kennedy Airport sometimes fares better than LaGuardia Airport, in northern Queens, during inclement weather. LaGuardia, known for its short runways, is older and smaller than JFK.
During a windy storm cycle that blew through New York in November, 107 flight cancellations were reported at LaGuardia, compared with 13 at JFK.