US transport chief says LaGuardia Airport to operate on reduced capacity for 'some time'

Record ID: 2368980

  • Title: US transport chief says LaGuardia Airport to operate on reduced capacity for 'some time'
  • Date: 23rd March 2026
  • Summary: NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (MARCH 23, 2026) (REUTERS) U.S. TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY, SEAN DUFFY, WALKING TO LECTERN AT LAGUARDIA AIRPORT IN NEW YORK CITY'S QUEENS BOROUGH (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY, SEAN DUFFY, SAYING:     "There was a CRJ-900 from Montreal here to LaGuardia, operated by Air Canada Express and by Jazz. It collided with
  • Embargoed:
  • Keywords: Air Canada Express LaGuardia Airport fire truck
  • Location: NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES / INTERNET
  • City: NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES / INTERNET
  • Country: US
  • Topics: Ground Accidents/Collisions,Disaster/Accidents,North America
  • Reuters ID: LVA001670723032026RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Two pilots died in a runway accident that shut New York's LaGuardia Airport and President Donald Trump deployed armed immigration agents to major airports on Monday (March 23) as passengers endured hours-long lines in a system strained by personnel shortages.
    The crash between an Air Canada Express jet and a fire truck at LaGuardia injured dozens of passengers and led to hundreds of flight cancellations at the start of the working week in the latest disruption for airports and carriers that have been knocked off-kilter by a weeks-long budget standoff in Congress.
    The crashed jet remained visible at the airport on Monday, its crushed cockpit pointing skyward.
    The two young pilots who died in the incident had just started their careers, said Bryan Bedford, head of the Federal Aviation Administration. "It's an absolute tragedy," he said at a news conference.
    Travelers have endured hours-long waits at security screening checkpoints in recent days as absentee rates have spiked among Transportation Security Administration employees who have gone without pay for more than a month.
    In New York, the pilot and first officer of an Air Canada Express jet were killed when the plane collided with a fire truck while taxiing. Another nine people were hospitalized with serious injuries. The CRJ-900 plane, operated by regional partner Jazz Aviation, had been carrying 72 passengers and four crew members.
    Some 572 flights were canceled, more than 50% of LaGuardia's daily total. Some flights resumed on Monday afternoon, but the FAA said the runway where the accident took place would be closed until Friday, which will likely cause delays throughout the week.
    U.S. aviation has faced a chronic shortage of air traffic controllers, but U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said that was not a problem at LaGuardia. "It's a very well-staffed airport," he said at a news briefing.
    Duffy said the airport is well staffed with 33 air traffic controllers at a facility which has a target of 37. Reports that the controller was working alone on Sunday night are inaccurate, Duffy said.
    According to air traffic control audio, a controller can be heard telling the craft that a fire truck was en route and clearing a truck to cross a runway. Moments later, the controller can be heard saying: "Stop, stop, stop, truck 1 stop, truck 1, stop."
    (Production: Hussein Al Waaile, Aleksandra Michalska, Roselle Chen)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2026. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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