LaGuardia closes runway again after pavement depression appears

LaGuardia Airport temporarily closed Runway 4/22 on June 17 after an airfield inspection found an approximately two-inch depression in the pavement adjacent to the runway, adding to a second pavement-related disruption in the same area in less than a month.

The airport said the shutdown was taken out of an abundance of caution and did not pose an immediate safety concern. During the closure, operations shifted to Runway 13/31 while crews carried out overnight testing and stabilization work.

By the morning of June 18, the runway had reopened.

What happened

According to the reporting, inspectors identified the depression during a routine airfield check on June 17. LaGuardia then closed Runway 4/22, one of the airport's primary runways, while crews worked overnight to test the area and make any needed repairs.

Travelers were told to check with their airlines for flight status while the airport was operating with reduced runway capacity.

Second pavement issue in weeks

The June closure came only weeks after the same runway area was shut down in May after a sinkhole was found near Runway 4/22. The earlier incident also raised concerns about the condition of the pavement around the runway.

The cause of both the May sinkhole and the later pavement depression remained under investigation in the reporting available.

Why it matters

LaGuardia is one of New York City's busiest airports, so even brief runway disruptions can affect schedules, flight timing and airport flow. The airport said the June closure was precautionary, but the repeated pavement issues leave open questions about whether more repairs or inspections will be needed.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey had not publicly explained the underlying cause in the reporting reviewed.

What to watch

The next questions are whether the Port Authority discloses what caused the pavement problems, whether additional remediation is needed and whether any further runway closures follow.