Sinkhole Shuts Down Runway At LaGuardia

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey shut LaGuardia Airport’s Runway 4/22 on Wednesday after crews found a sinkhole near the runway during a daily airfield inspection around 11 a.m. Airport officials said emergency construction and engineering crews were sent to the site as the airport shifted operations onto its remaining runway. The closure came on May 20, 2026, just before the Memorial Day travel rush and as thunderstorms moved through the New York region. The Federal Aviation Administration warned of delays, and airlines began absorbing cancellations and rebooking passengers as capacity tightened. ### Where was the sinkhole, and how was it found? LaGuardia Airport said the hole was identified near Runway 4/22 during the Port Authority’s routine morning inspection of the airfield. CBS New York reported the sinkhole was on the taxiway at the edge of Runway 4/22, while ABC7 described the damage as affecting one of the airport’s two runways. (cbsnews.com) Runway 4/22 was taken out of service immediately after the discovery, according to airport and local news reports. ABC7 reported that pilots heard controllers confirm the reason for the closure over air traffic control audio, with one controller saying, “There’s a sink hole,” after a pilot asked what had happened to the runway. (cbsnews.com) ### Why did one runway closure cause so much disruption? LaGuardia has two intersecting runways, not the larger runway network available at John F. Kennedy International Airport or Newark Liberty International Airport. CBS New York reported that with Runway 4/22 closed, all takeoffs and landings had to be handled on Runway 13/31, reducing the airport’s operating flexibility. (abc7ny.com) The FAA’s airport status page for LaGuardia on Thursday showed a traffic management program in effect because of weather and thunderstorms, with general departure gate holds and taxi delays and general arrival airborne delays of 15 minutes or less. That FAA advisory was broader than the sinkhole alone, but it showed the airport was operating under constraints as repairs continued. (cbsnews.com) Aerospace Global News, citing Reuters and FlightAware data, reported roughly 200 cancellations and nearly 200 delays affecting flights into and out of LaGuardia on Wednesday evening. ABC7 separately reported hundreds of delays and cancellations, attributing the disruption to both the sinkhole and storms in the area. ### What were crews doing overnight? (fly.faa.gov) Port Authority crews brought heavy equipment, including an excavator and dump truck, to the airfield as work continued through Wednesday afternoon and night, CBS New York reported. ABC7 said emergency crews worked through the night in an effort to repair the damage before Thursday morning operations. A large illuminated X marked the closed runway, ABC7 reported, signaling to pilots that the surface was unavailable. (aerospaceglobalnews.com) Port Authority officials were also carrying out what LaGuardia described as proactive inspections of the airfield while repairs were underway. ### Do officials know what caused the sinkhole? (cbsnews.com) Port Authority sources told CBS New York that investigators were examining several possible causes, including a fuel-line tunneling project. CBS said no official cause had been announced as of Thursday morning. Kris Van Cleave, CBS News’ senior transportation correspondent, said surface failures on runways and taxiways are unusual but can occur when something undermines the pavement below. (abc7ny.com) That explanation was his characterization of how such damage can happen generally, not a determination of the LaGuardia cause. ### When could the runway reopen, and what should travelers do now? (cbsnews.com) CBS New York reported on Thursday morning that Port Authority officials were aiming to complete repairs and reopen Runway 4/22 around noon. NBC New York also reported the runway was expected to reopen Thursday, though the exact timing remained subject to repairs and inspections. (cbsnews.com) Thursday’s FAA status page said passengers should check with their airline because airport-wide conditions do not determine the status of any individual flight. Travelers heading to LaGuardia can expect conditions to keep shifting as Port Authority crews finish repairs, inspectors assess the airfield and airlines reset schedules around the reopened runway. (fly.faa.gov) (cbsnews.com)