Thick Fog Virtually Shuts Down Airport

Thick fog virtually shut down Logan Airport on Sunday as college students and other travelers were returning from extended holiday vacations. Fog also affected airports in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Connecticut.

Air traffic controllers in Boston declared a ground hold at 11:45 a.m., limiting landings to airplanes with sophisticated instrument systems. That meant only two or three flights per hour were landing through the afternoon.

Dozens of cancellations were reported at New York’s Kennedy Airport, and there were delays of up to 60 minutes in departures and arrivals at La Guardia and Newark Airports.

At Philadelphia International Airport, two airplanes were forced to circle above the fog for a while Sunday morning, but most fog delays were minor.

In Windsor Locks, Conn., thick fog forced delays of up to an hour at Bradley International Airport. At least two flights were diverted to Syracuse, N.Y., although nine flights were diverted to Bradley from other New York airports, said operations specialist Mike Ross