An “incident” involving an aircraft and a vehicle occurred on a runway at LaGuardia Airport in New York, firefighters announced on Monday.
The New York fire department “responded to an incident involving an aircraft and a vehicle on a runway” on runway number 4, a spokesperson stated in an email. The exact nature of the incident was not specified.
The American Civil Aviation Authority (FAA) had earlier announced the closure of the airport due to an “emergency.” It stated that the likelihood of this measure being extended was “high.”
Official emergency alerts in New York warned the public to “expect cancellations, road closures, traffic delays, and the presence of emergency personnel” near this major transportation hub located in Queens, which serves only destinations in the United States and Canada.
“Take alternative routes,” they recommended. All flights departing from LaGuardia were delayed or canceled on Monday morning, according to the airport’s website. LaGuardia was already experiencing flight disruptions due to poor weather conditions, the airport had reported on Sunday.
Passengers also had to wait longer to pass through security checkpoints due to “impacts on staffing” caused by the expiration of federal funding, the airport had explained last week.
[Context: LaGuardia Airport in New York experienced an incident involving an aircraft and a vehicle on a runway, prompting a closure and causing disruptions to flight operations.] [Fact Check: The FAA issued an emergency closure for LaGuardia Airport, indicating a potential extension of the closure period. The public was advised to anticipate transportation and travel disruptions in the area.]
