Congestion at one of America’s busiest airports continues to plague arrivals and departures at New York John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK), following the evacuation of the FAA Washington Air Route Traffic Center (ARTCC ZDC) earlier today. This saw several southbound aircraft stopped or restricted.
It is uncommon for air traffic facilities to need to evacuate, and it is expected that this disruption will result in a significant disturbance to air travel at the airports the ARTCC ZDC serves. Initial reports, as suggested by eagle-eyed trackers on Reddit, indicated that pilots have told passengers that this is likely one of the busiest periods the airport has ever seen in recent years, with one pilot suggesting it is as busy as Thanksgiving 2023.
Traffic Is Backed Up
Heavy traffic is plaguing departures from 
New York JFK Airport following the evacuation of the FAA Washington Air Route Traffic Center (ARTCC ZDC). The airport allegedly did not accept arrivals for a short period. Disruption to air travel across the United States East Coast is expected throughout the day.
Many flights are experiencing departure delays of two to three hours, hampering travel plans for thousands as they look to depart/arrive from New York in the lead-up to the final weekend before Christmas. Aircraft are lined up in the dozens, awaiting appropriate clearance to leave from New York’s busiest airports. Many critics have noted that they have never seen so many aircraft on the airport’s taxiways.
Simple Flying reached out to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, who oversee operations at New York JFK Airport, for a statement on current operating conditions at JFK. However, their press team had not responded by the time this article was published.
Delays Across The Day
Operations across the day are expected to see several flights delayed as the airport continues to recover from the Washington Air Route Traffic Control Center closure. A snapshot of the airport’s departure board depicts that both domestic and international passenger and cargo operations remain affected.
Flight delays vary, with some experiencing only short delays, while others face delays of several hours. In addition to delays at the gate, the airport apron remains congested, with some flights taking some time to reach the front of the queue for clearance to takeoff. It is expected that these delays will likely linger for the rest of the day. Reviewing the departure board on the airport’s website, it appears that no current flights have been canceled.
While the airport has not commented on its social media platforms directly about the delays currently experienced at JFK, it has noted that it expects this weekend’s patronage to be busy and reminds travelers to plan extra time to arrive at the airport and prepare for their flight. Thousands of travelers are expected to pass through the terminal doors this weekend in the lead-up to the Christmas holidays.
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Washington Air Route Traffic Control Center
The Washington Air Route Traffic Control Center is operated under the direction of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and has the primary responsibility for aircraft arrivals and departures at airports across the Washington-Baltimore, New York, and Philadelphia metropolitan areas. It is the fourth-busiest ARTCC in the United States, out of 20.
The ARTCC covers a total area of 165,000 square miles (around 430,000 km2) and covers airports located in Delaware, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. The area is divided into 46 sectors, covered in eight areas, including low, intermediate, high, and super high altitude.
Located in Leesburg, Virginia, the Washington Air Route Traffic Control Center is responsible for ensuring safe and efficient separation of aircraft within its jurisdiction for those operating on federal airways. The region itself is one of the most congested air corridors in North America, making the ZDC one of the busiest in the country. Other major ARTCCs include Cleveland and Atlanta.
