The discovery of a sinkhole along a primary runway route at New York's LaGuardia Airport on Wednesday has forced an immediate shutdown, causing widespread flight disruptions at one of America's busiest airports.
The depression was identified around 11 a.m. local time during standard inspection procedures. Authorities quickly closed Runway 4/22, one of the airport's key operational runways, and deployed emergency engineering teams along with heavy machinery, including excavators, to assess the structural damage and begin urgent repairs.
A sinkhole at LaGuardia Airport shuts down the same runway where Air Canada flight AC8646 collided with a fire truck on 22 March 2026.
— FL360aero (@fl360aero) May 20, 2026
The sinkhole was discovered near Runway 4/22 during a routine morning inspection by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey forcing a… pic.twitter.com/xRVMaeJy6z
The runway problem was recorded in air traffic control audio obtained by CBS News, revealing the moment pilots first learned of the disruption. When an inbound pilot asked, “Ground, what happened to Runway 4/22?” an air traffic controller responded bluntly, “There is a sinkhole.” When the pilot followed up to ask if the issue was "part of the construction project," the controller replied, “I think that's safe to assume that. Looks like they've got equipment out there now.”
LaGuardia Airport officials issued a travel advisory via social media platform X. "Weather conditions have caused LGA Airport flight disruptions," the statement read, advising travellers to verify their flight status directly with their respective airlines.
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…
— LaGuardia Airport (@LGAairport) May 20, 2026
The situation was further aggravated by forecasts of severe afternoon thunderstorms over the New York metropolitan area, compounding operational challenges and prompting additional disruption warnings for passengers and airlines.
Repair crews mobilised quickly on the airfield, with video evidence on X capturing heavy machinery working to stabilise the subsurface depression. NBC New York reported that formal closure of Runway 4/22 has been extended through Thursday morning. The infrastructure outage rapidly translated into widespread travel disruptions, with the Federal Aviation Administration reporting baseline arrival delays of 90 minutes by Wednesday at 2:30 p.m, reported Financial Express.
A runway at LaGuardia Airport was shut down on Wednesday due to a sinkhole >> https://t.co/l9WBSobSJP pic.twitter.com/SRPBr1IOIn
— CBS New York (@CBSNewYork) May 20, 2026
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