Blizzard Forces World’s Largest Passenger Plane to Land at Small Airport
Whiteout conditions at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport have Singapore Airlines jumbo jet finding more humble runway in Hudson Valley.
A jumbo jet landed at a far smaller airport than planned after a blizzard prevented it from getting to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, according to published reports.
The Airbus 380—the world's largest passenger jet—made its unexpected arrival at Stewart International, a former United States Air Forve bass about 80 miles north of JFK, after whiteout conditions closed runways at its intended destination Thursday afternoon.
The plane, which has a wingspan of 262 feet, more than double that of a Boeing 737, was too tall for the airport's gates.
By CNBC's account, the 325 passengers aboard the Singapore Airlines flight from Frankfurt, Germany, departed the plane walking down outdoor stairs after waiting more than three hours on the snowy runway.
Putting some perspective on the traffic handled by Stewart compared to JFK: In 2016, about 137,000 passengers traveled from Stewart, as opposed to some 29 million from JFK, said CNBC, citing numbers from the U.S. Department of Transportation.
According to CNBC, the flight was one of dozens reportedly diverted as strong winds and snow shut down runways along the East Coast.
The next flight planned for the Singapore Airlines plane was a short one, from Steward to JFK.
