Overview
- Port Authority crews found a sinkhole near Runway 4/22 during a routine inspection on Wednesday and shut the runway immediately while emergency construction and engineering teams began repairs.
- With LaGuardia operating on one of its two runways, the closure sharply reduced capacity and led to hundreds of delays and cancellations that tracking services and local outlets say added up to more than 1,000 disruptions over two days.
- The Federal Aviation Administration slowed arrivals and issued ground delays and ground stops to manage traffic flow as the airport worked through the reduced throughput and stormy weather affected recovery.
- Investigators have not named a definitive cause and are using ground‑penetrating radar and core samples while considering factors that include a nearby fuel‑line tunneling project and regional subsurface vulnerabilities.
- No injuries were reported and Port Authority officials warn the reopening timeline is tentative while inspections continue, a development that could extend travel impacts through the Memorial Day weekend if tests find additional damage.