Is there a ground stop at EWR today?
No ground stop at EWR right now (as of 4:54 PM ET, Nov 6), but a ground delay program is in effect, for thunderstorms, with an average delay of 156 minutes. In the last 12 months the FAA issued 143 ground stops and 94 ground delay programs for EWR, most often for thunderstorms, holding flights on 130 days.
Live FAA delay status for Newark Liberty International Airport (KEWR, Newark, NJ): ground stops, ground delay programs and delays right now, what the FAA has listed for EWR recently, and how often flights here actually run late.
No ground stop at EWR right now, but the FAA is reporting a ground delay program (metered arrivals, not a full stop).
Details are in the FAA delay status card below. Checked Nov 6, 2026 · 2154Z (4:54 PM EST); this page refreshes about every two minutes.
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FAA Delay Status
FAA NAS Status for KEWR
FAA NAS Status is reporting a ground delay program for Newark Liberty International Airport (KEWR).
Updated Nov 6, 2026 · 2049Z (3:49 PM EST) · Source: FAA NAS Status
View all FAA delays → FAA status ↗
Verify with official FAA sources before operational decisions.
Why EWR gets delayed
Newark was held by the FAA on 145 days in the 12 months to October 2026: 150 ground stops and 110 ground delay programs. Only LaGuardia and San Francisco saw more. Newark's two main runways are closely spaced parallels in the most crowded airspace in the country, so when a line of storms crosses New Jersey or the arrival rate drops, the backlog builds quickly.
The causes were thunderstorms (39%), controller staffing (22%) and plain traffic volume (18%). Staffing programs were some of the longest anywhere: a 19 h 59 min GDP on November 8, 2025 and a 19 h 4 min program the next day, during the federal government shutdown. The worst storm day was July 21, 2026, when 18 back-to-back ground stops held Newark-bound flights from 5:54 AM to 11:22 PM.
A typical Newark ground delay program ran 6 h 32 min with an average delay of 68 minutes. In BTS data, 45% of EWR delay minutes were charged to the air traffic system, the highest share of any major airport.
Written by the ATIS Alerts team from FAA Command Center advisories (October 2025 to October 2026), BTS airline on-time data (June 2025 to May 2026) and 20 years of hourly weather observations. Updated October 2026.
How long EWR delays usually last
Every FAA ground stop and ground delay program for EWR from Nov 6, 2025 to Nov 5, 2026, rebuilt from the FAA Command Center's own advisories.
Ground delay programs
94Ground stops
143Flights to EWR were held by at least one FAA program on 130 days in the last year. 49% of the stops and programs began between 2 PM and 6 PM local time.
What triggered them
EWR ground stops and delay programs by month
| Month | Ground stops | Delay programs | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| December 2025 | 9 | 16 | 25 |
| January 2026 | 4 | 3 | 7 |
| February 2026 | 4 | 3 | 7 |
| March 2026 | 8 | 7 | 15 |
| April 2026 | 13 | 2 | 15 |
| May 2026 | 10 | 3 | 13 |
| June 2026 | 14 | 12 | 26 |
| July 2026 | 27 | 13 | 40 |
| August 2026 | 21 | 14 | 35 |
| September 2026 | 15 | 7 | 22 |
| October 2026 | 7 | 4 | 11 |
| November 2026 to dateplus Nov 6-30, 2025 | 11 | 10 | 21 |
The busiest month was July, with 40 ground stops and delay programs combined.
Source: FAA ATCSCC advisory database (fly.faa.gov), every ground stop and ground delay program advisory the FAA Command Center issued for EWR, rebuilt daily by ATIS Alerts.
Best time of day to fly out of EWR
Airline departures scheduled before 9 AM left on time 90% of the time, against 67% for those scheduled after 9 PM. By weekday, Tuesday was the most reliable (83%) and Sunday the least (75%). BTS on-time data, June 2025 to May 2026; on time = within 15 minutes.
Recent FAA events at EWR
Ground stops and delay programs the FAA has listed for EWR in the last 90 days, from ATIS Alerts' own log of FAA NAS Status.
- Ground Delay ProgramNov 6, 2026 · 2043Z (3:43 PM EST)in effect · thunderstorms · avg delay 156 min
- Ground StopNov 6, 2026 · 1833Z (1:33 PM EST)lasted 2h 12m · thunderstorms
- Ground Delay ProgramNov 6, 2026 · 1710Z (12:10 PM EST)lasted 4h 11m · thunderstorms · avg delay 156 min
- Ground StopNov 6, 2026 · 1540Z (10:40 AM EST)lasted 1h 41m · thunderstorms
- Ground StopNov 6, 2026 · 1416Z (9:16 AM EST)lasted 59 min · thunderstorms
- Ground StopNov 6, 2026 · 1321Z (8:21 AM EST)lasted 30 min · thunderstorms
- Departure DelaysNov 6, 2026 · 1235Z (7:35 AM EST)in effect · tm initiatives:swap:wx · avg delay 60 min
- Departure DelaysNov 5, 2026 · 1425Z (9:25 AM EST)lasted 1h 35m · tm initiatives:minit:vol · avg delay 45 min
- Departure DelaysNov 3, 2026 · 1500Z (10:00 AM EST)lasted 2h 20m · staff:staffing · avg delay 15 min
- Departure DelaysOct 31, 2026 · 1345Z (9:45 AM EDT)lasted 1h 40m · vol:compacted demand · avg delay 15 min
- Ground Delay ProgramOct 28, 2026 · 2206Z (6:06 PM EDT)lasted 4h 5m · other · avg delay 65 min
- Ground StopOct 28, 2026 · 2107Z (5:07 PM EDT)lasted 1h 14m · staffing
- Ground StopOct 23, 2026 · 0000Z (8:00 PM EDT)lasted 1h 41m · staffing
- Departure DelaysOct 17, 2026 · 2025Z (4:25 PM EDT)lasted 3h · tm initiatives:swap:wx · avg delay 15 min
- Ground Delay ProgramOct 17, 2026 · 2000Z (4:00 PM EDT)lasted 6h 51m · other · avg delay 67 min
- Arrival DelaysOct 17, 2026 · 1955Z (3:55 PM EDT)lasted 40 min · zdc / wx: sev turb · avg delay 30 min
- Ground StopOct 17, 2026 · 1929Z (3:29 PM EDT)lasted 1h 1m · wind
- Departure DelaysOct 16, 2026 · 2245Z (6:45 PM EDT)lasted 5h 20m · tm initiatives:swap:wx · avg delay 60 min
- Ground StopOct 16, 2026 · 2155Z (5:55 PM EDT)lasted 3h 20m · staffing
- Ground Delay ProgramOct 16, 2026 · 2100Z (5:00 PM EDT)lasted 5h 26m · other · avg delay 169 min
- Departure DelaysOct 16, 2026 · 1415Z (10:15 AM EDT)lasted 45 min · tm initiatives:swap:wx · avg delay 15 min
- Departure DelaysOct 16, 2026 · 1155Z (7:55 AM EDT)lasted 1h 15m · tm initiatives:swap:wx · avg delay 30 min
- Departure DelaysOct 15, 2026 · 1355Z (9:55 AM EDT)lasted 5 min · vol:compacted demand · avg delay 15 min
- Ground StopOct 14, 2026 · 1619Z (12:19 PM EDT)lasted 22 min · thunderstorms
- Ground Delay ProgramOct 11, 2026 · 2305Z (7:05 PM EDT)lasted 3h 54m · low ceilings · avg delay 80 min
Durations are the time the FAA kept the event listed. Log complete from 2026-09-22; older rows are the last event of each type seen by the ATIS Alerts bot since 2026-07-22.
Travel options · partner links
Travel disrupted?
Long delay at EWR? Options near Newark Liberty International Airport if your trip is disrupted.
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Smart flight search
Rebooking? Nearby airports right now
Airline airports near EWR with their live FAA status and 12-month departure on-time record. Pick one to rank its most reliable flights to your destination.
- Rank flights from TTN →
TTN · Ewing Township · 44 mi
No FAA delays now78% of departures on time (12 months)
- Rank flights from ISP →
ISP · Islip · 56 mi
No FAA delays now75% of departures on time (12 months)
- Rank flights from ABE →
ABE · Allentown/Bethlehem · 67 mi
No FAA delays now82% of departures on time (12 months)
- Rank flights from JFK →
JFK · New York · 21 mi
Some delays78% of departures on time (12 months)
Flight compensation · partner link
Flight delayed 3+ hours or cancelled?
If today's disruption at EWR wrecked your trip, you may be owed up to $650 per passenger. That applies when the flight departed from Europe, or flew into Europe on a European airline, within the last few years. Most US domestic delays do not qualify.
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Check my flight with AirHelpATIS Alerts may earn a commission if you file a claim, at no additional cost to you. Affiliate disclosure
How often is EWR delayed?
Airline on-time performance at EWR, Jun 2025 to May 2026, from the US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
122,471 scheduled airline arrivals and 122,148 departures in the period. Best month: May 2026 (87.7% on time); worst: Jul 2025 (64.1%). 49% of arrival delay minutes were charged to weather or the National Airspace System, the categories a ground stop or ground delay program falls under.
On-time arrivals by month
Bar = share of arrivals within 15 minutes of schedule; largest month had 10,825 arrivals.
What caused the delays
- 45%National Airspace System (ATC, volume, non-extreme weather)
- 29%Late-arriving aircraft
- 22%Airline (crew, maintenance, ground handling)
- 4%Extreme weather
- 0%Security
Shares of delay minutes on arrivals 15+ minutes late, as reported by the carriers to the DOT.
Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) Airline On-Time Performance (reporting carriers; regional, cargo, and general aviation flights are not included). Published about two months after each month ends.
Weather at KEWR right now
Weather drives most ground stops: thunderstorms, low ceilings, wind and snow.
METAR KEWR 062151Z 28006KT 10SM FEW040 BKN070 BKN100 BKN140 18/14 A2980 RMK AO2 SLP091 T01780144
Active FAA events nearby
Other airports in New Jersey with a delay event right now.
EWR ground stop FAQ
Is there a ground stop at EWR today?
No ground stop at EWR right now (as of 4:54 PM ET, Nov 6), but a ground delay program is in effect, for thunderstorms, with an average delay of 156 minutes. This page rechecks the FAA's NAS Status feed about every two minutes.
How do I know if EWR has a ground stop right now?
The banner at the top of this page reads the FAA's NAS Status feed about every two minutes. A red banner means the FAA currently lists a ground stop for Newark Liberty Intl; green means it does not. The official source is nasstatus.faa.gov.
How many ground stops has EWR had in the last year?
In the last 12 months the FAA issued 143 ground stops and 94 ground delay programs for EWR, most often for thunderstorms, holding flights on 130 days. Source: the FAA Command Center's advisory database (fly.faa.gov).
How long do ground stops at EWR last?
In the last 12 months the FAA issued 143 ground stops for EWR. The typical one lasted 1 h 18 min, and the middle half ran 56 min to 2 h 24 min. Ground delay programs run longer: 94 of them, typically 6 h 7 min with an average delay of 72 minutes.
Does a ground stop mean my flight is cancelled?
No. It means departures to EWR are held, not cancelled. Airlines cancel on their own when the backlog cannot be recovered, so watch your carrier's updates alongside this page.
⚠️ Informational only. FAA NAS Status is the authoritative source for delay programs; your airline or dispatch governs your flight. ATIS Alerts is not affiliated with the FAA.