A runway at LaGuardia Airport will remain closed Friday as Memorial Day Weekend gets underway, complicating operations at one of the region’s busiest transportation hubs during the unofficial kickoff of summer travel season, the Port Authority said.
Runway 4/22 has been shut down since Wednesday, when workers discovered a sinkhole nearby. The closure contributed to a tumultuous day at LaGuardia, where nearly 290 flights were cancelled and more than 310 were delayed, according to flight tracker FlightAware — though severe evening storms also disrupted flights.
The Port Authority had anticipated opening the runway by Friday, but officials said inspections using ground-penetrating radar on Thursday identified additional “possible areas of concern.”
Those areas have been repaired, officials said, but crews have decided to continue inspections “out of an abundance of caution,” pushing the runway reopening to 6 a.m. Saturday.
While the airport remains open, the Port Authority urged travelers to check with their airline for their flight status before heading out.
As of shortly before 9 a.m. Friday, 130 flight delays and five flight cancellations were affecting LaGuardia, FlightAware data shows.
