India, Aug. 8 -- JFK airport flight cancellations surged as severe weather and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ground stops disrupted air travel across the US, with nearly 2,000 flights cancelled nationwide on Friday, according to FlightAware data.

The disruptions followed a chaotic Thursday, when the FAA imposed ground stops at nine major US airports amid weather problems and an equipment outage. The affected airports included John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), LaGuardia Airport, Boston Logan International Airport, Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and Washington Dulles International Airport.

The disruption carried into Friday, with cancellations for flights within, into or out of the US reaching 1,990, FlightAw...