LaGuardia runway expected to re-open Friday after sinkhole repairs

Added: 2026-05-23

[00:00:00]5:00. I'm Mike Barzizza.

[00:00:01]>> And I'm Sade Baderinwa. The Port Authority is on site this evening with a ground penetrating radar looking for any additional voids in the runway.

[00:00:08]>> That process could last all the way through tomorrow morning, which is of course bad news if you have a flight booked. According to FlightAware, 48 flights have been canceled so far at the airport.

[00:00:19]>> Another 326 have been hit with delays.

[00:00:22]Eyewitness News reporter Shantay Lands is live at LaGuardia with the latest on the repair work. Shantay.

[00:00:29]Well, Sade >> and Mike, as you just mentioned, this runway remains closed. It's one of two behind me. X marks the spot. This is runway 422. This is one of two vital runways here at LaGuardia Airport. The delayed opening of this runway means more canceled and delayed flights, which also means more headaches for travelers leading into Memorial Day weekend. This runway remains here closed after a sinkhole was found nearby. And although it's not related, this is the same runway of that deadly Air Canada crash.

[00:01:00]The Port Authority saying emergency construction and engineering crews are currently completing the necessary repairs and proactive inspections of the airfield as quickly and safe as possible. The sinkhole was discovered during an routine inspection yesterday morning around 11:00. Only 150 flights were canceled and nearly 150 others were delayed yesterday. It's about a quarter of the overall flights being either canceled or delayed. The runway was scheduled to reopen earlier today at noon, but got pushed back due to those ongoing repairs and inspections that you were looking at. But back out here live, Port Authority Executive Director Catherine Garcia says the agency is using ground penetrating radar, like you mentioned, Sade, and coring samples to search for other potential holes in the runway. The Port Authority, by the way, expects for this runway to reopen sometime tomorrow morning.

[00:01:54]Reporting live at LaGuardia Airport, Shantay Lands, Channel 7 Eyewitness News.