More than 2,000 flights were canceled in the United States on Tuesday and Wednesday, and some airports in Florida were closed to prepare for the impact of Hurricane Ian, which is expected to make landfall in the state.
According to the flight-tracking website Flightaware.com, airlines in the United States canceled 367 flights on Tuesday and 1,748 on Wednesday.
Around 1,800 flights inside, into, or out of the United States were delayed on Tuesday.
Hurricane Ian entered the U.S. Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday and is expected to strengthen into a deadly Category 4 storm over the warm waters of the Gulf, according to Eric Blake, a meteorologist with the National Hurricane Center.
Hurricane-force winds of up to 209 mph and up to 0.6 feet of rain are forecast for the Tampa region from Wednesday morning through Thursday evening.
Tampa and St. Pete-Clearwater airports in southwest Florida suspended operations Tuesday, while Sarasota Bradenton Airport closed at 8 p.m. (0000 GMT) Wednesday and Orlando Airport at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday.
Even airports in Florida that were not closed suffered significant consequences. On Wednesday, airlines canceled over 40% of flights at Miami International Airport.
Florida plays a significant role in U.S. aviation, and several companies, including JetBlue Airways and Southwest Airlines, routinely expect 40% or more of their daily flights to land at Florida airports.
JetBlue had canceled 24% of its Wednesday flights in the United States by Tuesday afternoon, while Southwest had canceled 9%.
Southwest suspended operations in Havana, Cuba, on Tuesday and is also suspending service at certain Florida airports.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said it is “closely monitoring” Hurricane Ian and its projected route.
Major American carriers likewise stopped part of their operations.
American Airlines (AAL.O) issued travel advisories for 20 airports in the western Caribbean and Florida stating that tickets purchased before Sept. 23 will not incur rebooking fees.