Runway 4/22 closure at LaGuardia sparks flight delays ahead of Memorial Day travel

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey closed Runway 4/22 at LaGuardia Airport on Wednesday, May 20, after crews found a sinkhole during a daily inspection of the airfield. The shutdown removed one of the airport’s two runways just before the Memorial Day travel rush and forced airlines to adjust schedules as thunderstorms moved into the New York area. The Federal Aviation Administration said the airport was under a ground delay program on Thursday, with average delays of 1 hour and 15 minutes. By Friday, LaGuardia said repairs had been completed and the runway had reopened, though the airport warned travelers to expect residual delays. ### When did the runway closure begin, and what caused it? The Port Authority said crews identified a sinkhole near Runway 4/22 at about 11 a.m. on Wednesday, May 20, during a routine morning inspection. The runway was shut down immediately while emergency construction and engineering crews moved in to determine the cause and make repairs. ABC News reported that Runway 4/22 is one of two runways at LaGuardia. (cnbc.com) The airport remained open during the closure, but operating with one runway reduced capacity at one of the busiest and most constrained airports in the country. ### How much did the closure disrupt flights at LaGuardia? The Federal Aviation Administration’s airport-status page listed LaGuardia under “runway maintenance” on May 21 and showed a ground delay averaging 1 hour and 15 minutes. (cnbc.com) The FAA’s real-time status page on May 23 showed shorter delays had eased to general departure gate holds and taxi delays of 15 minutes or less, with arrival delays also 15 minutes or less. (abcnews.com) CNBC reported that the Port Authority warned travelers on Wednesday to expect delays and cancellations, with thunderstorms expected that day adding to the disruption. Southwest Airlines said about 20 of its arriving flights would be delayed on Wednesday, while Delta Air Lines said it had issued a weather waiver for New York City-area airports and allowed customers to rebook no later than Sunday. (faa.gov) ### Why did a single runway closure create such a bottleneck? LaGuardia operated with only one runway after the closure of Runway 4/22, according to the Port Authority and ABC News. That reduced the airport’s ability to handle arrivals and departures at the same time and left less room to absorb weather-related slowdowns as storms moved across the region. (cnbc.com) The Port Authority said in a statement carried by ABC News that “reduced capacity affected flight operations” during the closure. The agency also said its investigation into the cause of the sinkhole was continuing after the runway reopened. ### What did airport officials say about repairs and reopening? LaGuardia said on Friday that a “thorough inspection” of the airfield pavement using ground-penetrating radar identified areas of concern that were then repaired proactively. (abcnews.com) The airport said those repairs were complete and that Runway 4/22 had reopened. ABC News reported earlier Friday that the airport had expected the runway to reopen by Saturday morning before updating its status to say the work had finished sooner. (abcnews.com) That moved the airport out of the most acute phase of the disruption, though not all airline schedules returned to normal immediately. ### What should travelers check before heading to the airport? (abcnews.com) LaGuardia posted an advisory at 1 p.m. on May 22 telling all ticketed passengers to confirm their flight status before traveling to the airport. The airport’s flight-information pages for arrivals and departures say schedules, delays, cancellations and gate assignments can change and direct passengers to verify details with their airline. (abcnews.com) The next update point is likely to come from LaGuardia’s alerts page or FAA delay-status pages, which were still showing general delays as of May 23. The Port Authority has also said its investigation into the sinkhole’s cause is ongoing. (fly.faa.gov) (laguardiaairport.com)