New York LaGuardia runway reopens after repairs

LaGuardia Airport has reopened a runway after emergency repairs following a sinkhole that disrupted flights during the busy Memorial Day travel period. Authorities say inspections and repairs have been completed, though delays and cancellations affected hundreds of flights as the investigation continues.

David Shepardson/Reuters

23 May 2026 at 03:41:44

New York LaGuardia runway reopens after repairs

Planes cue on the runway for takeoff as another lands at New York's LaGuardia airport, where closure of one of the runways due to a sinkhole on Wednesday is expected to continue until early Saturday, snarling flights for the busy Memorial Day travel period in New York City, U.S., May 22, 2026.

Shannon Stapleton/Reuters

New York's LaGuardia airport has reopened a runwaythat had been closed because of a sinkhole on Wednesday, snarling flights for the busy Memorial Day travel period, the airport said.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which manages New York City area airports, had said runway inspections using ground-penetrating radar on Thursday identified potential areas of concern that were repaired, and engineering crews were conducting additional inspections on Friday.

Repairs have been completed, while the cause of the sinkhole is being investigated, according to a LaGuardia airport social media account.

About 150 flights, or 13%, had been delayed as of Friday morning. LaGuardia has canceled or delayed hundreds of flights since Wednesday.

The Transportation Security Administration expects around 18 million air passengers over the Memorial Day holiday travel period, which typically marks the beginning of the busy summer travel season.

-David Shepardson/Reuters