Newark flights halted after smoke forces control tower evacuation

Flights at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey were halted on Monday after a control tower was evacuated due to smoke, the FAA said in an advisory.

Controllers relocated to an alternate tower, triggering a “ground stop,” it said.

The suspension at Newark comes as one of New York’s other airport hubs — LaGuardia — also faced disruption on Monday following an accident late Sunday.

An Air Canada aircraft collided with a ground vehicle at the airport, resulting in the death of two pilots and several people being injured.

The Air Canada Express flight, a CRJ-900 operated by Jazz Aviation — a Canadian regional carrier that runs shorthaul flights on behalf of Air Canada — struck a Port Authority rescue and firefighting vehicle on the airfield shortly after landing, authorities said.

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