Sinkhole Shuts Down LaGuardia Runway

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey shut one of LaGuardia Airport’s two runways on Wednesday after crews found a sinkhole during a morning inspection, disrupting flights at one of the nation’s busiest airports. The sinkhole was identified near Runway 4/22 at about 11 a.m., according to the Port Authority. The agency said the runway was closed immediately and emergency construction and engineering crews were sent to the site. The Federal Aviation Administration said it was slowing flights into LaGuardia because of “weather and a sinkhole on Runway 4/22,” adding to delays as thunderstorms moved into the region. ### Where was the sinkhole found, and when was it discovered? LaGuardia crews found the sinkhole near Runway 4/22 during the airport’s daily morning airfield inspection, the Port Authority said. The agency said the hole was discovered at approximately 11 a.m. on May 20 and that the runway was shut down immediately after the finding. (abcnews.com) Runway 4/22 is one of two runways at LaGuardia, according to the Port Authority and FAA records. Port Authority documents describe 4/22 as a primary runway at the Queens airport, and the closure left operations to be managed on the remaining runway while repair crews assessed the damage. ### How much did the runway closure disrupt flights? (abcnews.com) The FAA said Wednesday that flights into LaGuardia were being slowed because of both weather and the runway sinkhole. A notice cited by ABC News said Runway 4/22 was expected to remain closed until 6 a.m. Eastern time on Thursday, though officials said that timing could change. (abcnews.com) FAA real-time status information for LaGuardia later showed a traffic management program in effect, with arriving flights delayed by an average of 2 hours and 8 minutes and departure traffic to LaGuardia also seeing delays averaging 2 hours and 8 minutes. The FAA site said gate hold and taxi delays were running between 2 hours and 16 minutes and 2 hours and 30 minutes. (abcnews.com) FlightAware’s cancellation page for LaGuardia showed 24 cancellations and seven delays for Thursday when checked, though those figures can change through the day. Earlier reports on Wednesday said the closure had already caused hundreds of disruptions, according to the Port Authority. ### What did airport officials tell travelers? The Port Authority said travelers should expect delays and cancellations and urged passengers to check directly with their airlines for the latest flight status. (fly.faa.gov) The agency tied that warning to both the runway closure and forecast thunderstorms later in the day. NBC New York reported the airport posted the statement on social media after the sinkhole was found. (flightaware.com) The statement said emergency crews were on site to determine the cause of the sinkhole and make repairs. ### What do officials know about the cause? Emergency construction and engineering crews were sent to evaluate the sinkhole’s size, cause and any structural effect on the runway area, according to reports citing the Port Authority. (abcnews.com) As of Wednesday evening, officials had not publicly identified a cause. Port Authority records show Runway 4/22 has been the subject of prior rehabilitation planning and related airfield work. (nbcnewyork.com) Those documents do not link that work to Wednesday’s sinkhole, but they show the runway has undergone major infrastructure review in recent years. ### What happens next at LaGuardia? (msn.com) The FAA notice cited by ABC News said Runway 4/22 was expected to stay closed until 6 a.m. Thursday while repairs continued. The Port Authority said construction and engineering crews were working on site and told passengers to monitor airline updates for any further schedule changes. Thursday’s airport status pages and airline flight alerts are likely to provide the next public updates on whether Runway 4/22 reopens on schedule. (panynj.gov) The FAA’s LaGuardia status page continued to show traffic management delays after the closure, and the Port Authority said travelers should keep checking directly with carriers. (fly.faa.gov) (abcnews.com)