Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey temporarily halted arrivals and departures on Monday morning after air traffic controllers evacuated their tower.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) stated the move was prompted by a burning smell from an elevator.
The exact cause of the odor remained unclear, though the agency confirmed no fire had occurred. The disruption lasted less than an hour, and no injuries were reported.
During the operational pause, FAA staff relocated to a backup tower at the airport, according to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which oversees the facility.
Controllers later returned to the primary tower.
Earlier this month, a strong chemical smell impeding air traffic controllers halted all flights for over an hour at four airports serving Washington, D.C., Baltimore, and Richmond, Virginia. Federal Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the odor's source was an overheated circuit board that was replaced.
Officials clarified that the temporary pause at Newark Liberty was unrelated to a fatal accident at New York’s LaGuardia Airport on Sunday night.
The aircraft, operating as Jazz Aviation flight on behalf of the Canadian company, was arriving from Montreal with 76 passengers on board when it crashed into the Port Authority truck on Runway 4 at a speed of approximately 24 miles per hour, according to FlightRadar24.
The truck was responding to a separate incident at the Queens airport when the accident occurred.
Air traffic control audio of the incident reveals panicked dispatchers desperately attempting to avert the situation without success, urging the pilots to “Stop, stop, stop!” and later commenting: “That wasn’t good to watch.” One controller admits: “I messed up.”
Forty one passengers were ultimately taken to hospital, nine of whom are still receiving treatment, while two other people, a sergeant and an officer, are in stable condition following treatment for broken limbs, NBC News reports.
