NEW YORK—The three major New York city area airports will suspend all flights Saturday because of Hurricane Irene, officials said.
The shutdown at John F. Kennedy International Airport, LaGuardia and Newark will take effect at 10:00 pm (0200 GMT), the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said.
The closures will add to paralysis in one of the world’s busiest air hubs. Already in advance of Irene, all arrivals had been cancelled and departures were restricted.
Similar disruption hit airports all the way up the east coast as Irene headed north.
Rail traffic across the eastern United States also came to a standstill and public transport in the New York region was halted. In New York City, it was the first shutdown ever caused by a weather disaster.