Runway Closure Causing Delays At LGA

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 near the runway during a routine airfield inspection. The closure cut the Queens airport to one operating runway and set off delays and cancellations just as Memorial Day travel began. The Federal Aviation Administration said flights bound for LaGuardia were being delayed under a traffic management program tied to a runway-taxiway obstruction. Port Authority officials told travelers to expect continued disruption and to check directly with airlines before heading to the airport. ### Where was the sinkhole, and when was it found? The Port Authority said crews identified the sinkhole at about 11 a.m. on Wednesday during the airport’s daily morning inspection. The agency said the problem was found near Runway 4/22, one of LaGuardia’s two runways, and the runway was immediately taken out of service while construction and engineering crews assessed the area. (cnbc.com) QNS, citing a Port Authority spokesperson, reported that the hole was on Taxiway Bravo rather than on the runway itself, but close enough that Runway 4/22 was closed while crews investigated nearby pavement and searched for other unstable spots. The same report said engineers used sonar and core samples as part of the inspection work. ### Why did one runway closure create such broad delays? (cnbc.com) LaGuardia has two runways, and the loss of Runway 4/22 forced the airport to handle traffic on its remaining runway. CNBC reported that the closure came as thunderstorms were also affecting the New York region, adding weather-related limits to an already constrained operation. The FAA’s live status page for LaGuardia said flights headed to the airport were delayed by an average of 1 hour and 35 minutes because of a traffic management program tied to the obstruction. (qns.com) The same FAA page said arrival traffic was also seeing airborne delays, though shorter ones, and warned that departure schedules could be affected as arriving flights were metered. ### How many travelers were moving through the system at the same time? (cnbc.com) The Port Authority said on May 18 that about 5.6 million travelers were expected to use its airports and crossings during the five-day Memorial Day travel period from Thursday, May 21, through Monday, May 25. The agency said more than 2.1 million passengers were expected at John F. Kennedy, Newark Liberty, LaGuardia and New York Stewart airports over that stretch, with Friday and Monday projected to be the busiest airport days. (fly.faa.gov) That timing put the LaGuardia closure into one of the heaviest travel periods on the regional calendar. Port Authority advisories for the holiday period had already urged passengers to allow extra time and check airport and airline information before traveling. ### What did airlines and airport officials tell passengers? (panynj.gov) The Port Authority said travelers should expect delays and cancellations after the runway shutdown. A spokesperson later said LaGuardia remained open to flight operations, but passengers should check with their airline for flight status before arriving at the airport. Southwest Airlines told CNBC that 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 flights that allowed customers to rebook. (panynj.gov) CNBC said weather was also a factor in those disruptions. ### When was the runway expected to reopen? On Thursday, Port Authority officials said they were working toward reopening Runway 4/22 at 6 a.m. (cnbc.com) Saturday, May 23, after additional repairs and inspections. QNS and CBS New York both reported that an earlier target had slipped as crews found more areas requiring review. ABC7 New York reported on Friday that Runway 4/22 had reopened after repairs were completed and inspections were finished, though the Port Authority said the cause of the sinkhole remained under investigation. (cnbc.com) At the same time, the FAA’s broader operations advisory still showed a closure notice for Runway 04/22 through May 27, indicating system notices may lag field changes. (qns.com) ### What should travelers watch next? The FAA said passengers can track delay conditions for LaGuardia through its airport status pages, while the Port Authority said airline-specific flight status remains the best guide for individual trips. Both agencies pointed travelers to live operating updates rather than fixed schedules while repairs and follow-up inspections continued. (abc7ny.com) Monday, May 25, is expected to be one of the busiest airport days of the holiday period, according to the Port Authority’s Memorial Day advisory. Travelers using LaGuardia through the weekend were told to allow extra time, monitor airline alerts and watch for further airport updates as the investigation into the sinkhole continues. (panynj.gov) (fly.faa.gov)