Travelers relieved as LaGuardia reopens after fatal runway accident

Operations resume at LaGuardia after a fatal runway crash kills two pilots, causing widespread flight cancellations and delays across New York airports. Passengers express relief as services gradually return to normal.

Reuters

24 March 2026 at 08:52:39

Travelers relieved as LaGuardia reopens after fatal runway accident

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents patrol at LaGuardia International Airport, in New York City, U.S. March 23, 2026. Hundreds of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were ordered to deploy to airports to help fill TSA staffing gaps across the country.

Edguardo Munoz/Reuters

Two pilots died in a runway accident that shut down New York's LaGuardia Airport and President Donald Trump deployed armed immigration agents to major airports on Monday (March 23) as passengers endured hours-long lines in a system strained by personnel shortages.

The crash between an Air Canada Express jet and a fire truck at LaGuardia injured dozens of passengers and led to hundreds of flight cancellations at the start of the working week in the latest disruption for airports and carriers that have been knocked off-kilter by a weeks-long budget standoff in Congress.

The crashed jet remained visible at the airport on Monday, its crushed cockpit pointing skyward.

Flights resumed by Monday afternoon.

Passengers arriving at the airport said they were relieved that operations were restarting and grateful to avoid rerouting through other New York area airports.

Production: Aleksandra Michalska, Christine Kiernan, Shannon Stapleton, Roselle Chen/Reuters