Plows clearing the tarmac at LaGuardia Airport during the New York City blizzard of February 2026.
Reuters/Shannon Stapleton
Most flights into and out of New York City’s three major airports were canceled on Monday amid a blizzard that had buried the five boroughs and surrounding areas in more than a foot of snow.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said that John F. Kennedy International Airport, LaGuardia Airport, and Newark Liberty International Airport were all open on Monday, but that the majority of flights at all three were canceled. Both JFK and LaGuardia had a reported 15 inches of snow on the ground as of 7 a.m. Monday.
“Port Authority employees are hard at work today doing ongoing snow removal operations at all of our facilities,” said Port Authority spokesperson Seth Stein, in a statement. “The safety of the traveling public is our top priority as we work with our partners to restore travel operations.”
The Port Authority cautioned travelers to check their flight statuses with their airlines before heading to any of its airports.
People sleep on benches during a blizzard at LaGuardia Airport, Feb. 23, 2026.REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton
According to the site FlightAware, 89% of flights scheduled to depart from JFK and 87% scheduled to land there were cancelled on Feb. 20 — equating to 554 and 545 flights respectively — as of late Monday morning.
The JFK AirTrain is also suspended, with shuttle buses running in its place, according to the Port Authority.
Nearly 100% of flights headed out of and into LaGuardia, 514 and 515, respectively, were canceled.
At Newark, 91% of arriving flights and 85% of departing flights were canceled as well. Newark’s EWR AirTrain was also suspended and replaced with shuttle bus service, the Port Authority said.
The three local airports were among the hardest hit by the storm, which has snarled air travel across the United States. A total of 5,598 domestic and international U.S. flights were cancelled on Monday.
The ongoing blizzard’s major impact on air travel comes as it has dumped at least 15 inches on the city, stirring the snow with powerful winds. Mayor Zohran Mamdani declared a local state of emergency on Sunday night and issued a travel ban for non-essential personnel, which he lifted just after noon on Monday.