About New York’s ‘Bomb Cyclone’ Causing Flight Cancellations

A powerful winter snowstorm sweeping across New York City has triggered widespread flight disruptions, rippling through global air travel networks and affecting airlines far beyond North America, including Kenya Airways (KQ), which relies on the city as a key transatlantic gateway.

The storm, characterised by heavy snowfall, strong winds and sub-zero temperatures, continues to force operational slowdowns at major airports serving the New York metropolitan area, including John F. Kennedy International Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport.

Airlines, including KQ, have been compelled to cancel or delay hundreds of flights as runways required repeated clearing and ground crews face safety restrictions.

New York is a critical long-haul destination linking East Africa to North America, as well as onward connections to Europe and Latin America.

Disruptions at JFK have knock-on effects across the airline’s network, complicating aircraft rotations, crew scheduling and passenger connections through Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.

New York Under Lockdown

New York’s Mayor, Zohran Mamdani, declared a state of emergency on February 22, 2026, banning all non-essential vehicles, including cars, trucks, scooters, and e-bikes, from NYC streets, highways, and bridges starting 9 p.m. Sunday until noon Monday.

Exemptions apply only to emergency services and critical workers. He also cancelled public school classes on Monday with no remote option, calling it the biggest storm in a decade.

Over 40 warming centres have been opened, and sanitation is hiring temp shovelers at $19-28/hour to clear hydrants and bus stops.

Potentially Historic/Destructive Storm

Experts are projecting the Blizzard could be severe enough to meet the criteria of a bomb cyclone. That is when a storm drops at least 24 millibars in pressure in 24 hours.

“We’re expecting it to drop by that magnitude at least over the course of the next 24 hours,” said Frank Pereira, a weather service meteorologist. “I think when all is said and done, it will meet the definition of a bomb cyclone.”

More than 40 million people are at risk, including in places such as Philadelphia and Boston.

Cities like New York, Boston, and Philly could see 18 to 24 inches of snow. Washington, D.C., faces 2 to 5 inches, while Baltimore might get 5 to 10 inches.

Winds gusting 50 to 60 mph threaten to snap tree branches, destroy homes, knock out power, and cause coastal flooding.

In some spots, snow is falling at 2 inches per hour, leading to whiteout conditions and extremely dangerous, or impossible driving.

Flight Delays and Cancellations to Continue

JFK canceled 82% of flights on Monday, LaGuardia 91%, and Boston Logan 86%, signalling an ongoing uncertainty for travellers within the United States and the world over.

More than 8,800 U.S. flights were scrapped Sunday alone, with 5,000 delayed, a total of 14,000 disruptions.

Passengers travelling between Africa and North America are among those affected, with some KQ customers facing the music.

Airlines across the Atlantic also reported congestion at alternative hubs as carriers attempted to reroute traffic away from New York.

Overall Outlook and Way Forward

New York’s Bomb Cyclone highlights the vulnerability of global aviation to climate-related shocks.

Extreme weather, from snowstorms in North America to heatwaves in Europe and flooding in parts of Asia, is increasingly testing airline resilience and contingency planning.

Aviation experts warn that climate volatility is now a strategic risk rather than a seasonal inconvenience.

Airlines may need to invest further in resilience, coordination and customer communication to maintain confidence in long-haul travel amid an increasingly volatile global environment.

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