Sinkhole Shuts LaGuardia Runway, Causes Delays

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey shut one of LaGuardia Airport’s two runways on Wednesday after crews found a sinkhole near Runway 4/22 during a morning inspection. The Federal Aviation Administration said it slowed flights into the Queens airport because of “weather and a sinkhole on Runway 4/22,” adding to delays as thunderstorms moved through the region. Airlines began canceling and rebooking flights as the airport shifted traffic onto its remaining runway. The disruption hit as Memorial Day travel volumes were building across New York’s airports. ### Where was the sinkhole found, and when did crews spot it? Port Authority crews found the sinkhole at about 11 a.m. on May 20 while conducting LaGuardia’s daily morning airfield inspection, according to statements reported by multiple outlets. The hole was near Runway 4/22, one of the airport’s two runways. Runway 4/22 was immediately closed after the discovery, the Port Authority said, and emergency construction and engineering crews were sent to assess the cause and begin repairs. (cnbc.com) CBS New York reported the damage was on the taxiway at the edge of the runway. ### Why did one closure cause such a broad ripple through flights? LaGuardia has two runways, and closing Runway 4/22 forced the airport to handle traffic on the remaining runway. (cnbc.com) That reduced arrival and departure capacity at one of the country’s busiest short-haul hubs. The FAA said on Wednesday it was slowing inbound flights because of both the runway problem and weather. (cnbc.com) Its public airport-status page on Thursday showed a traffic management program for weather and thunderstorms, with arriving flights delayed by an average of 2 hours and 44 minutes at one point, while noting flight-specific impacts should be checked with airlines. (abcnews.com) ### What were travelers being told on Wednesday and Thursday? The Port Authority said travelers should expect delays and cancellations and urged them to check directly with their airlines for the latest flight status information. NBC New York reported the disruption continued into Thursday, with the runway still out of service early in the day. (abcnews.com) PIX11 reported on Wednesday that flights to LaGuardia were delayed by more than an hour after the closure. Other local outlets reported airlines were rebooking passengers as operations tightened ahead of the holiday weekend. ### How long was the runway expected to stay closed? The FAA said Wednesday that Runway 4/22 was expected to remain closed until at least 6 a.m. (abcnews.com) Eastern on Thursday, though that timing was subject to change. A separate FAA operations advisory listed LaGuardia Runway 04/22 as closed until May 27 at 1800Z, indicating a longer planning window for air traffic management. (pix11.com) CBS New York reported early Thursday that the runway was still shut. NBC New York said the runway was set to reopen Thursday, but officials had not publicly confirmed a final reopening time in the reports reviewed. ### Was weather part of the problem too? The FAA explicitly tied the slowdown to both weather and the sinkhole, and the New York region was under a severe thunderstorm watch Wednesday night, according to ABC News. (abcnews.com) That meant travelers were dealing with two constraints at once: reduced runway capacity and storm-related traffic management. (cbsnews.com) A current FAA airport-status page on Thursday continued to show weather-related traffic management at LaGuardia. That suggests some delays visible now may reflect ongoing thunderstorms as well as any remaining effects from the runway closure. ### What should passengers watch next? The FAA’s LaGuardia status page and broader operations advisories are the clearest public markers for runway status and systemwide delay programs. (abcnews.com) Airlines’ own flight-status pages will show whether individual departures or arrivals are canceled, delayed or rebooked. Port Authority repair crews remained the named participants in the next step, with officials saying they were determining the cause and completing repairs as quickly and safely as possible. (fly.faa.gov) The next concrete milestone is the runway’s return to service, which the FAA and airport operators will reflect in updated advisories. (cnbc.com)