Dozens of flights at LaGuardia Airport experienced cancellations and delays as the airport worked to recover from the previous day’s Air Canada plane crash.
By 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday, around 88 flights—about 16% of all scheduled departures—had been canceled, and another 43 flights (7%) were reported delayed, according to flight tracking site Flightaware.
Additionally, 90 incoming flights (16%) were also canceled, while delays affected 104 incoming flights (19%).
The airport advised travelers to anticipate “significantly longer” security wait times due to the ongoing partial government shutdown.
With the impact of the recent crash still felt, LaGuardia couldn’t provide an accurate estimate for wait times.
According to the airport’s website: “Due to a lack of federal funding, security wait times may be significantly longer than normal. Wait times may vary quickly based on passenger volume and TSA staffing.”
During this period, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents are being deployed to various airports nationwide to fill in for TSA employees who have been calling in sick or retiring after a month of receiving partial paychecks.
The airport has temporarily suspended wait time reporting and implored passengers to expect significant delays. Travelers were advised to check their flight status with their airlines.
A tragic incident occurred when an Air Canada regional jet collided with a fire truck, resulting in the deaths of the pilot and co-pilot shortly after landing around 11:40 p.m. on Sunday.
Approximately 40 individuals, including two first responders from the Port Authority aboard the fire engine, were hospitalized with various injuries.
LaGuardia remained closed until 2 p.m. on Monday. The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the cause of the accident. Interestingly, NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy disclosed that investigators were delayed in reaching the crash site due to a lengthy TSA line.
