Newark congestion after LaGuardia sinkhole

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey shut LaGuardia Airport’s Runway 4/22 on Wednesday, May 20, after crews found a sinkhole during a routine airfield inspection. The closure left LaGuardia operating on its only other runway and added a new disruption to an airspace system already under pressure from weather and Newark capacity limits. (cnbc.com) By Thursday, May 21, delays and cancellations had spread across the region, including at Newark Liberty International Airport, where travelers were already dealing with reduced throughput. Port Authority officials said LaGuardia remained open, but warned passengers to expect delays and check directly with airlines for updated flight status. (northjersey.com) ### How did a LaGuardia runway problem turn into a Newark delay story? (abcnews.com) LaGuardia’s runway closure began around 11 a.m. on May 20, when Port Authority crews identified the sinkhole near Runway 4/22 during a daily inspection. With one of LaGuardia’s two runways out of service, the Federal Aviation Administration slowed flights into the airport because of “weather and a sinkhole on Runway 4/22,” ABC News reported. Newark became part of the story because the three major New York-area airports share crowded regional airspace. NorthJersey.com reported on May 21 that Newark was seeing delays tied to weather and broader congestion even though the sinkhole was at LaGuardia. Simple Flying, citing NJ Spotlight News, said Newark was facing higher-than-normal congestion and a capacity reduction expected to last about three weeks. (cnbc.com) ### What exactly happened at LaGuardia? CNBC reported that the Port Authority discovered the sinkhole during a routine inspection and immediately shut the runway so construction and engineering crews could determine the cause and make repairs. The agency told travelers to expect delays and cancellations, with thunderstorms also forecast for Wednesday. (cnbc.com) ABC News reported on May 21 that follow-up pavement inspections using ground-penetrating radar found additional possible trouble spots. A Port Authority spokesperson told ABC that those areas were repaired proactively and that crews would keep Runway 4/22 closed while they completed more inspections. (northjersey.com) ### How large was the disruption? NorthJersey.com said it published the latest delay and cancellation counts for Thursday, May 21, for both Newark and LaGuardia. Separate reporting from Simple Flying said LaGuardia had more than 400 delays and cancellations after the sinkhole and storms hit operations. (cnbc.com) NBC New York reported that delays and cancellations were expected to continue into Thursday because of the runway shutdown, with severe weather late Wednesday compounding the disruption. CNBC also reported that weather was delaying flights across all three major airports serving New York City and much of New Jersey. (abcnews.com) ### Why was Newark already vulnerable to knock-on disruption? NJ Spotlight News reported that the FAA had already ordered Newark to reduce hourly flight capacity from 77 takeoffs and landings to 56 for the next three weeks. The outlet said the move came as Newark dealt with severe delays tied to an air traffic controller shortage, bad weather and a closed runway. (northjersey.com) That meant regional disruption from LaGuardia was hitting an airport that was already operating under tighter limits. The FAA’s 2025 interim order for Newark set a maximum of 28 arrivals and 28 departures per hour during the construction period, according to the agency. (nbcnewyork.com) ### What should travelers watch next? ABC News reported that Port Authority crews expected to complete LaGuardia surveys and associated repairs by 6 a.m. Saturday, May 23, when Runway 4/22 was expected to reopen. Until then, the Port Authority said LaGuardia would remain open to flight operations but with delays. NorthJersey.com said travelers could track the latest May 21 delay and cancellation counts for Newark and LaGuardia through its running update on affected flights and airlines. (njspotlightnews.org) (abcnews.com) (faa.gov)