Investing.com -- Flights to New York’s LaGuardia Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport faced delays Wednesday after the Federal Aviation Administration temporarily halted flights as smoke from hundreds of Canadian wildfires darkened skies and impaired visibility across the Northeastern region.
Flights into LaGuardia were delayed by nearly two hours, according to FAA data. The initial ground stop at LaGuardia was ordered until at least 2 p.m. ET.
"The FAA has slowed traffic to and from New York City area airports due to reduced visibility from wildfire smoke, the aviation agency said in a statement on its Twitter account. "The agency will continue to adjust the volume of traffic to account for the rapidly changing conditions."
Flights into Newark Liberty International Airport were also delayed for about 82 minutes on average, the aviation agency said.
As of 2:20 pm ET, more than 1,900 flights were delayed, according to flight tracking site FlightAware.
Wildfires spreading through Canada drifted southward across multiple cities across the East Coast including New York, Massachusetts, and Connecticut, prompting several air quality alerts.
Airlines stocks including Southwest Airlines Company (NYSE:LUV), Delta Air Lines Inc (NYSE:DAL) and United Airlines Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:UAL) regain some ground following a brief dip.