JetBlue Engine Failure Prompts Newark Flight Suspension

Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey suspended flight operations Wednesday evening after a JetBlue aircraft experienced engine failure shortly after takeoff, forcing an emergency return and passenger evacuation.

JetBlue Flight 543 departed from the airport around 5:45 p.m. bound for West Palm Beach, Florida, but turned back immediately due to the mechanical issue, according to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. The Airbus A320 landed safely and taxied off the runway, at which point the crew reported smoke in the cockpit, prompting the evacuation of passengers using emergency slides, the Federal Aviation Administration stated. No injuries were reported among the roughly 150 passengers and crew on board.

The incident led to a full ground stop at the airport, one of the busiest on the East Coast, halting arrivals and departures from approximately 5:42 p.m. to 7 p.m. Officials cited the need to remove the aircraft from the taxiway as the reason for the suspension. By 7:07 p.m., operations had resumed, though significant delays persisted, with average wait times reaching 90 minutes, down from a peak of two hours earlier.

The Port Authority issued a travel...