Superstorm Sandy grounds thousands of US flights

Thousands of scheduled flights have been grounded as super-storm Sandy batters the US East Coast bringing hurricane-force winds and widespread flooding.

All of the major airports serving New York City remain closed this morning – including John F. Kennedy International Airport and LaGuardia Airport, as well as New Jersey’s Newark Liberty International Airport.

New Jersey’s Teterboro Airport – a key private jet charter hub serving New York City – has also been closed by the storm.

Transport networks have been largely shut down which makes the airports inaccessible for passengers, air crew and airport staff.

Following the arrival of Sandy, states of emergency have been called in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Delaware, Maryland and District of Columbia.

International flyers travelling to the US are being advised to check with their airlines for information on all flights to the East Coast.

Storm Sandy is being monitored by the National Hurricane Center (http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/). The NHC website has lots of information on tropical cyclones and an interesting piece on how hurricanes are assigned their names: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutnames.shtml