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LaGuardia Airport news: Why is runway 4/22 closed? Visuals emerge amid sinkhole scare
A sinkhole near a LaGuardia runway forced an immediate shutdown Wednesday, disrupting flights as emergency crews rushed to repair the damage.
A sinkhole near runway 4/22 at LaGuardia Airport in New York City on Wednesday afternoon prompted a closure, interrupting flight operations at one of the busiest airports in the world.
The Port Authority which manages the airport shared an update that the sinkhole was found during a routine inspection ad the runway was "immediately" closed to complete the necessary repair. As of now, it is unclear how long the repair work will take.
Meanwhile, visuals emerged showing complete chaos at the runway and construction engineers and emergency crew conducted the required repair.
The statement read: "At approximately 11 a.m., the Port Authority was conducting its daily morning inspection of LaGuardia’s airfield when crews identified a sinkhole near Runway 4/22. The runway was immediately shut down, and emergency construction and engineering crews are onsite to determine the cause and complete necessary repairs as quickly and safely as possible."
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For instance, here's a video of the situation in shared by one user on X which shows at least dozen cars from various departments and some specialized construction vehicles at the scene.
FOX News also shared a zoomed in view of the workers at the sinkhole as repair works were being done. Here's the video:
When Will The LaGuardia Runway Reopen
As of now, LaGuardia authorities have not provided a timeline of when the Runway 2 at LaGuardia Airport is going to reopen. Repair work is going to take up significant time, based on the indications from the statement released by LaGuardia.
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“The Port Authority is in close communication with airlines and airport partners and will continue providing updates as conditions evolve,” the statement continued. "Travelers should expect delays and cancellations, particularly with forecast thunderstorms expected later today, and are strongly encouraged to check directly with their airlines for the latest flight status information."
It is unclear if the sinkhole has caused significant delays in arrival and departures. According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), there was an average delay of 1 hour 38 minutes, more than four hours after the sinkhole was first spotted.
LaGuardia handles between 1000 and 1100 departures and arrivals daily, making it one of the busiest airports in the US.
