A sinkhole discovered on a runway at LaGuardia Airport in New York forced authorities to close the affected runway, triggering significant flight delays and cancellations at one of the busiest air travel hubs in the United States. The closure was announced on May 20, 2026, as airport and airline officials worked to assess the extent of the damage and determine a timeline for repairs.

LaGuardia, which handles tens of millions of passengers annually and serves as a critical gateway to the New York metropolitan area, operates with limited runway capacity, meaning any single runway closure carries outsized consequences for flight schedules. Travelers were advised to check with their airlines for updated flight information as disruptions rippled through the airport's operations.

The cause of the sinkhole was not immediately disclosed, though such incidents at aging infrastructure sites can result from underground water erosion, deteriorating subsurface materials, or utility failures beneath the pavement. LaGuardia has been the subject of long-running infrastructure upgrade efforts, with a major redevelopment project partially underway in recent years.

Airport authorities did not provide an immediate timeline for reopening the runway. Airlines operating at LaGuardia were working to reroute or reschedule affected flights, though passengers faced uncertainty about the duration of disruptions. Federal aviation officials were also expected to be involved in the inspection and clearance process before the runway could return to service.