Major delays as Newark Airport reopens after JetBlue flight emergency landing

Flights into Newark Liberty International Airport were temporarily paused on Wednesday after a plane made an emergency landing due to engine failure, according to officials, prompting major delays once the airport reopened.

“The Airbus A320 was headed to Palm Beach International Airport in Florida and the crew reported an engine issue shortly after departing,” the FAA said in a statement of the flight that prompted the stop.

“After JetBlue Flight 543 safely returned to Newark Liberty International Airport and exited the runway, the crew reported smoke in the cockpit and evacuated passengers via slides,” the statement adds.

By 7:07 p.m. local time, normal operations at Newark Liberty had resumed, the airport wrote on its website.

“Safety is JetBlue’s top priority,” JetBlue said in a statement to The Independent. “We are focused on supporting our customers and crewmembers and will work closely with the appropriate federal authorities to investigate what occurred.”

open image in gallery

There were no immediate injuries reported, according to northjersey.com.

Unverified social media video of the incident showed passengers milling around on the runway, as a JetBlue plane could be seen in the background with its slide deployed.

Flights out of Newark were delayed by an average of 90 minutes, while flights into the airport were delayed more than two hours, according to the FAA.

Journalist Ahmed Eldin said he was among those delayed as a result of the incident.

He shared a video of the runway on X filled with what appeared to be emergency vehicles and said he was stuck on the tarmac.