A sinkhole was discovered at New York’s LaGuardia Airport on Wednesday, leading to the immediate closure of a runway while emergency crews rushed to determine the cause and complete repairs.
Discovery and Response
According to LaGuardia officials, the sinkhole was found at approximately 11 a.m. near runway 4/22 during the airport operator’s daily morning inspection. In a post on X, the airport stated: “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.”
Impact on Travelers
New York’s Port Authority warned that 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.” By 3 p.m. EST, the FAA’s airport monitoring service reported that due to expected thunderstorms, a traffic management program was in effect for arriving air traffic, causing some arriving flights to be delayed an average of 1 hour and 37 minutes.
Background and Context
LaGuardia Airport is built on land reclaimed from the surrounding bay in the 1930s and sits on an area that once featured homes, hotels, and an amusement park. A 2025 report noted that airports are increasingly challenged by uneven ground sinking along runways, with San Francisco International Airport reportedly sinking the fastest. Overall, about 3.5 million square meters of runway experience significant sinking, and nearly 14,000 square meters are at high risk of structural damage.
The closure of LaGuardia comes nearly two months after an unrelated crash involving an Air Canada flight that struck a Port Authority fire truck on the same runway as the sinkhole, resulting in the deaths of two pilots.
