The Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) issued a ground stop advisory at LaGuardia Airport on Monday morning, July 27, 2026. Concurrently, the FAA implemented a Traffic Management Program at John F Kennedy International Airport (JFK) due to staffing shortages at air traffic control facilities. This program has resulted in arriving flights at JFK being delayed by an average of 2 hours and 29 minutes.
Delta Air Lines experienced the majority of flight cancellations out of LaGuardia on the same day. A ground stop means all flights scheduled to depart for LaGuardia are held at their origin airport until the advisory is
lifted. Earlier in July 2026, over 500 flights were canceled and 4,000 delayed across the New York area due to weather and air traffic control staffing constraints. The FAA slowed flights into JFK, LaGuardia, Newark Liberty International Airport, and Philadelphia International Airport as a result.
Staffing shortages cause widespread delays and cancellations
The FAA cited staffing shortages at air traffic control facilities managing traffic for multiple regional airports, including JFK, LaGuardia, Newark Liberty International Airport, and Philadelphia International Airport. According to an FAA official, “Due to STAFFING / STAFFING, there is a Traffic Management Program in effect for traffic arriving at John F Kennedy International Airport, New
York, NY (JFK). This is causing some arriving flights to be delayed an average of 2 hours and 29 minutes.”
Passengers traveling to or from LaGuardia on July 27 faced flight holds at their origin airports due to the ground stop. Meanwhile, JFK experienced significant arrival delays, affecting flight schedules throughout the day. The ongoing staffing shortages have compounded operational difficulties following the earlier wave of cancellations and delays in early July 2026 linked to both weather and limited air traffic controller availability.
