More drying, more flying at JFK

OPERATIONS WERE slowly returning to normal Tuesday at JFK Airport, days after a water main break flooded a terminal and created a baggage loading nightmare.

Officials and passengers were already dealing with weather-related delays, when a water pipe broke in Terminal 4, and made the situation worse.

The airport was forced to suspend international flight arrivals for a few hours.

The broken pipe feeds a sprinkler system.

“What happened at JFK Airport is unacceptable, and travelers expect and deserve better,” said Port Authority Executive Director Rick Cotton. “While the water pipe break that occurred appears to be weather-related, we have launched an investigation into the incident to determine exactly what occurred and why an internal pipe was not weather protected and whether any other failures contributed to this disruption.”

Maintenance workers were mopping floors and still trying to stop a link in a ceiling, but for the most part, the airport was operating smoothly, officials said.

A Port Authority spokesman said most flights were on or close to schedule.