#Water leak leads to hundreds of cancelations and delays at JFK

Record-breaking holiday weekend travel at JFK Airport was grounded Saturday night by a “minor water leak” at the airport’s control tower, officials said.

Hundreds of departing and incoming flights were canceled or delayed at the international transit hub, the Port Authority’s online flight tracker showed at around 10:30 p.m.

“JFK controllers are operating from a secondary control tower due to a minor water leak in the main facility,” the airport tweeted just before 7 p.m.

“Operations at this facility, combined with area weather, require more spacing between aircraft. As such, the FAA is holding most flights destined for JFK from departing.”

Independence Day weekend was expected to see the most people take to the skies since the COVID-19 pandemic started.

The Transportation Security Administration screened 2.2 million people at airport checkpoints on Friday, which was “the highest throughput since the start of the pandemic,” an agency spokeswoman said.