LaGuardia Airport shut down one of its main runways temporarily on Wednesday after inspectors discovered a “cave-in” in the pavement. This marks the second instance in under a month that the New York City airport has halted operations on a runway due to pavement concerns.
The sinkhole, about 2 inches deep, was located next to Runway 4/22, which is one of LaGuardia’s two primary runways.
“During an airfield inspection at LaGuardia Airport, an approximately 2-inch depression was identified adjacent to Runway 4/22,” the airport reported.
Officials noted that the closure was a precautionary measure taken out of “an abundance of caution” but emphasized that there was no “immediate safety concern” stemming from the issue.
Flight data from FlightAware indicates that arrivals at the airport are currently averaging 48 minutes late, although that delay is reportedly improving. Earlier Wednesday, ABC 7 cited 174 delays, according to the platform.
Runway 4/22 is set to close at 5 p.m. and is expected to stay shut until Thursday morning. Repair crews will work overnight to conduct tests, identify the cause of the issue, and perform any needed stabilization work.
“Our goal is to complete the assessment and necessary repair work overnight and return the runway to use as soon as it is safe to do so,” the airport stated.
Operations are planned to commence on LaGuardia’s remaining main runway at 5 p.m. on 13/31 and will continue until repairs are finalized.
LaGuardia Airlines advised passengers to check with their airlines for updates on flight status.
This incident marks the second time in a short span that emergency repairs have been needed on this section of pavement, as a similar sinkhole prompted a temporary closure around the Memorial Day travel rush.
