AirTrain, terminal access to Kennedy Airport restricted due to pro-Palestinian protest
Pro-Palestinian protesters rally near Kennedy Airport on Monday. Credit: AFP via Getty Images/Yuki Iwamura
Access to Kennedy Airport was restricted in some places Monday afternoon except for people with boarding passes or employee ID as authorities sought to curb travel disruptions by pro-Palestinian protesters.
Police officers and other personnel were performing the checks at the AirTrain station entrances at Jamaica, Howard Beach and elsewhere.
There were also reports of checks for drivers entering the airport grounds.
Videos posted online showed heavy traffic and a slow-moving line of cars, some flying Palestinian flags and featuring text on the windows such as “Stop the genocide.” Police directed a line of cars around a checkpoint. Protesters also had planned to arrive at the airport by public transportation.
The car caravan of protesters also began heading toward LaGuardia Airport on the Grand Central Parkway, with several lanes blocked, according to an NYPD tweet.
In a posting on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, the NYPD's chief of transportation office tweeted: "If anyone is flying out of JFK Airport today, please plan to travel to the airport ahead of time. There are planned protests today and will cause delays."
Entry into JFK's Terminal 4 was also temporarily restricted to ticketed passengers, employees and people with what authorities consider a valid reason to be there, such as passenger pickups, according to the Port Authority, which operates the airport.
No arrests were made, according to the Port Authority.
The security precautions came in advance of a planned "global strike" to protest Israel's monthslong war in Gaza in response to the surprise Oct. 7 attack by Hamas in which over 1,000 Israelis were killed or taken captive by the terrorist group. So far, over 20,000 Palestinians, have been killed in bombings or other campaigns by the Israeli military.
A posting promoting the local protest said: "IF THE AIR TRAIN IS SUCCESSFULLY SHUT DOWN, RALLY IN THE STATIONS."
Travel + Leisure magazine reported the Transportation Security Administration expected New Year's Day to be one of the busiest travel days of the year.
Late last month, a highway demonstration by pro-Palestinian activists blocked Christmas travel into Kennedy for hours, leading some taxi passengers to get out of cabs and walk, luggage in tow, toward the airport.
With AP
Matthew Chayes, a Newsday reporter since 2007, covers New York City.
