Air India has canceled flights to and from New York and Newark on January 25 and 26 due to the forecast of a severe winter storm on the US East Coast that is expected to affect flight operations.
The Tata Group-owned airline operates daily flights from Delhi and Mumbai to New York. There are also daily flights from Delhi to Newark, while flights between Mumbai and Newark operate on certain days of the week, PTI reported.
Air India on Saturday, January 24 announced that a severe winter storm that will bring heavy snowfall will hit New York, New Jersey and nearby areas on the US East Coast from Sunday morning to Monday.
“Considering the safety, well-being and comfort of our passengers and crew, all Air India flights to and from New York and Newark on January 25 and 26 have been cancelled,” the airline said in a post on X.
Winter storms in the USA
The U.S. Great Plains is experiencing snow and extreme cold, causing widespread travel disruptions and increasing the risk of power outages amid the nation’s biggest winter storm.
The storm is expected to cover nearly 2,400 kilometers and bring heavy snow, crippling ice and freezing winds to some of the country’s largest cities. Economic activity could grind to a halt along the storm’s corridor, and a lack of road cleaning equipment and road salt in certain areas will complicate efforts to reopen highways, according to a Bloomberg report.
Natural gas prices rose amid concerns that ice-covered equipment could disrupt supplies. Airlines canceled over 6,200 flights, Amtrak postponed dozens of trips. New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority advised travelers to avoid non-essential travel on Sunday and Monday and to expect delays and disruptions on subways, buses and commuter trains.
“We are preparing to be hit by a powerful Arctic blast,” Houston Mayor John Whitmire was quoted as saying in a news briefing Friday. “There will be a powerful storm that few Houstonians have ever experienced.”
State and local officials advised residents to prepare for power outages, frozen pipes and blocked roads. Snow and sleet are likely to cover major cities for a thousand miles from Oklahoma to New York, while Boston could get more than 20 inches of snow.
The snowfall is likely one of the most extensive in the U.S. since the “superstorm of 1993,” Rob Carolan, executive director of Hometown Forecast Services, told the agency.
“I have a feeling we’re going to see travel issues early next week,” Carolan said. “It will take time for the airlines to get the planes back to the airport to operate.”
