LaGuardia runway sinkhole causes delays

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey closed one of LaGuardia Airport’s two runways after crews found a sinkhole during a routine airfield inspection around 11 a.m. on Wednesday, May 21, according to the agency. The closure hit one of the New York region’s busiest airports just before the Memorial Day travel rush and led to delays and cancellations that stretched into Friday. The Federal Aviation Administration said it was slowing flights into LaGuardia because of weather and the runway problem. Port Authority officials said the airport remained open, but warned travelers to expect disruptions and check directly with their airlines. ### Where exactly was the problem at LaGuardia? Runway 4/22 was the affected strip, according to the Port Authority and the FAA. The sinkhole was found near that runway during the airport’s daily morning inspection, and officials shut the runway while crews began repairs and investigated surrounding pavement conditions. ABC News, citing the Port Authority, reported that ground-penetrating radar inspections on Thursday identified additional possible trouble spots that were repaired as a precaution. (abcnews.com) The FAA’s airport-status pages on Friday continued to show a traffic management program at LaGuardia tied to a “RWY-TAXI / OBSTRUCTION,” with arriving flights delayed by an average of about 1 hour and 35 minutes. A separate FAA status page listed gate-hold and taxi delays for departing traffic as well. ### Why did one runway closure create such broad delays? (abcnews.com) LaGuardia has two runways, and the closure took one of them out of service during a period of heavy demand, according to the Port Authority statement reported by ABC News. The FAA said flights were being slowed “due to weather and a sinkhole on Runway 4/22,” linking the airport-specific problem to broader storm-related constraints in the system. NBC News reported that storms had already caused more than 1,000 delays within, into or out of the United States by Thursday morning. (fly.faa.gov) Port Authority officials told travelers to expect delays and cancellations, “particularly with forecast thunderstorms expected later today,” according to ABC News’ report on the agency’s statement. That meant the runway issue and weather were affecting operations at the same time rather than as separate events. (abcnews.com) ### What have officials said about safety and repairs? Port Authority officials said there were no reported injuries tied to the sinkhole. The agency said engineering crews used ground-penetrating radar on Thursday, repaired areas flagged as possible concerns, and decided to keep the runway closed while additional inspections were completed. (abcnews.com) The FAA’s public status pages continued to reflect active delay programs on Friday, indicating the operational effects were still being managed even as repair work continued. The agency’s real-time status page said the information was general airport status and not flight-specific, and told passengers to check with airlines to see whether individual trips were affected. (abcnews.com) ### What should travelers watch now? LaGuardia remained open to flight operations, the Port Authority said, but passengers were advised to check flight status before going to the airport. The FAA status pages showed that delays were still in place on Friday because of the runway obstruction and construction-related limits. (fly.faa.gov) Port Authority officials told ABC News that crews expected to finish surveys and any associated repairs by 6 a.m. Saturday, when Runway 4/22 was expected to reopen. Until that happens, the most current public updates are coming from airline flight-status tools and FAA airport-status pages for LaGuardia. (abcnews.com)