Hurricane Ida: All flights to and from New Orleans canceled ahead of landfall
Ida grew into a Category 4 storm overnight
As Hurricane Ida approaches Louisiana, all flights to and from New Orleans have been canceled.
Ida grew into a Category 4 storm overnight, and wind strength is reaching more than 150 mph; winds over 157 mph fall into Category 5, according to the National Hurricane Center.
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"The Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport is prepared for impacts from Hurricane Ida. All flights scheduled for Sunday, August 29 have been cancelled," airport spokesperson Erin Burns told FOX Business. "Airport staff is currently onsite monitoring the facilities and will address any damage throughout the hurricane event so that airlines can resume flights once it is safe to do so."
Burns added that 40 flights were canceled on Saturday, 226 flights were canceled on Sunday, and "there are 173 reported cancellations for Monday, Aug. 30."
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The Gulf Transportation Security Administration tweeted Saturday that evacuations were creating long airport security lines as people fled the area.
People stand in line to get through the TSA security checkpoint at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport on August 28, 2021 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
The MSY airport encouraged travelers to only go to the airport if their flights have been confirmed. A spokesperson for the airport told WDSU, a local NBC station, on Saturday that there were 40 flight cancellations yesterday and 223 on Sunday.
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According to Fox Weather's Janice Dean, only two hurricanes on record — since 1851 — have made landfall in Louisiana with sustained winds that strong: Last Island in 1856, and Hurricane Laura in 2020. Both of those hurricanes were 150 mph at landfall.