Khaberni - It wasn't just the snowfall that caused the paralysis of air traffic in the Northeastern United States, but the rapidly increasing number of cancelled flights that exceeded the capacity of the system to reorganize its operations.
When thousands of flights are canceled at a central aviation hub like New York, it’s not just a transient disruption, it becomes a bottleneck that extends across the entire aviation network.
Thousands of cancellations at the heart of the network
Data from "FlightAware," a website specializing in tracking aviation movement, showed widespread disruption in air navigation at New York City airports as a strong snowstorm approached.
John F. Kennedy International Airport recorded more than a thousand cancelled flights in one day, along with a roughly similar number at LaGuardia Airport, and hundreds of flights at Newark Liberty International Airport.
The airport announced on its "X" account that there will be a complete and planned suspension of the "AirTrain" internal train service starting from 11:00 PM due to poor weather conditions.
It explained that free buses will transport passengers between all stations instead of the train, while continuing to monitor weather conditions and update travelers on when service can resume when conditions permit.
The impact extended beyond New York, with hundreds of flights cancelled at Philadelphia International Airport and Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, indicating that the crisis was not confined to one city but affected an entire region.
Philadelphia International Airport announced on its "X" account that continuous winter weather conditions led to expected delays and potential cancellations of flights, urging travelers to check the status of their flights directly with airlines before heading to the airport.
How does disruption turn into congestion?
Under normal circumstances, the aviation network can handle a limited number of delays by adjusting schedules or redistributing aircraft.
But when the number of cancellations rises to thousands in a single day, a chain of disruptions begins.
An airplane that doesn't take off from New York won't reach its next destination, and won't make its subsequent flight, leading to accumulating delays, disruption of airline crew schedules, and congestion at alternative airports.
Thus, the malfunction spreads from a single runway to an interconnected network spanning several states.
The Northeastern node
New York's three airports represent a major focal point in the American aviation network; they are a primary gateway for transatlantic flights and an important hub for domestic flights.
The disruption of this node means affecting routes extending to other states and even to international destinations.
In the same context, the Federal Aviation Administration announced the closure of 18 airports in various states, and operational data issued by the American air traffic control center showed the extensive impact of the storm.
Measures to alleviate the pressure
"JetBlue" also announced a temporary suspension of its operations at several airports in the Northeastern United States, waiving fees for changing or canceling reservations in an attempt to reduce operational confusion.
However, the extent of cancellations reflects that the crisis has surpassed temporary delays, reaching a stage where the network operates below its usual capacity.
Turning Point
"FlightRadar24" indicated that New York is preparing for the busy morning peak period, but weather forecasts and the current level of disruptions suggest a difficult start to the week for aviation in the region.
Snowstorms are not a new phenomenon in the Northeast, but the density of air traffic and the complexity of the American aviation network mean that any major shock spreads quickly.
In this case, the issue is more than just snow disrupting takeoffs and landings; the number of cancelled flights has reached a level that makes rearranging schedules a highly complex process.
In modern aviation networks, the crisis does not begin when snow falls, but when a large number of aircraft are stopped at the same time. Then, not just one airport is disrupted, but the entire network is temporarily choked under the pressure of the storm.
