Takedown of suspected Chinese spy balloon impacts flights at Westchester County Airport

Weary travelers finally reached their destination at the Westchester County Airport after their flights were delayed by the takedown of the balloon.

News 12 Staff

Feb 5, 2023, 2:27 AM

Updated 618 days ago

Share:

The take down of a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon Saturday impacted flights at some airports, including Westchester County Airport.
Yorktown resident Jim Thompkins became one of the many passengers whose flight was delayed by the suspected Chinese spy balloon, which the U.S. military shot down as it floated over the Atlantic Ocean.
"Ours was only delayed a little bit, but there were other flights that were delayed for hours and they had to reschedule," Thompkins said.
Other weary travelers finally reached their destination at the Westchester County Airport after their flights were delayed as well by the takedown of the balloon.
Some passengers said they were more than a little concerned when their pilot made the announcement in regard to the delays.
"It's scary with what's going on right now, but he was calm, so we were calm," said Caryn Ast, of New City, about the pilot.
The suspected surveillance balloon was reportedly the size of three school buses. It was first spotted over Montana on Wednesday, as it traveled in a diagonal pattern over Idaho and then on to the Carolinas.
The Pentagon and the White House initially delayed shooting it down out of concerns of the potential threat of debris that could fall from the sky.