New York’s LaGuardia Airport will operate at reduced capacity ‘for some time’ after crash that killed pilots, Trump secretary says

Audio reveals moments before collision between plane and truck at LaGuardia Airport US Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy said on Monday (23) that New York LaGuardia Airport will operate at reduced capacity for “some time” following the death of two pilots in an accident on the runway that led to the airport’s closure. The incident, which occurred on Sunday night (23), left the two pilots dead and dozens injured. ✅ Follow the g1 international news channel on WhatsApp An Air Canada Express plane collided with a fire truck on the runway at LaGuardia airport, in New York, in the United States. The crash killed the aircraft’s pilot and co-pilot and injured 41 people, including the two employees who were in the truck. Plane and car collide on runway at New York airport, USA The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a grounding order for all planes at the airport, which canceled operations. The airport, the third largest in New York, is expected to remain closed until late afternoon on Monday (23). The LaGuardia website showed that arriving planes were diverted to other airports or returned to their point of origin. The crash occurred around 11:40 pm, when the vehicle, belonging to the LaGuardia airport port authority, asked for permission to cross the runway. Audio from the command tower, released by the Live ATC monitoring website and reproduced by the CNN Internacional TV network, revealed the moment of the crash. Air Canada plane crashes after collision with fire truck at LaGuardia airport, in New York, USA, on March 22, 2026. Bing Guan/ Reuters In it, the driver of the fire truck asks for permission to drive on the runway, and the controller authorizes it. Seconds later, he asks the driver to stop, but the vehicle does not respond to the command. “Stop, stop, stop!” says the tower, without response. In images posted on social media, it is possible to see the nose of the aircraft raised and damaged. According to FlightRadar24, the passengers had already disembarked when the accident occurred. Emergency teams respond to collision at LaGuardia Airport, NY Bing Guan/Reuters An Air Canada jet stops on the runway at LaGuardia Airport, this Monday, March 23, 2026, after colliding with a Port Authority vehicle in New York. Ryan Murphy/AP The flight departed from Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau international airport, the main airport in Montreal, Canada. The jet was operated by Jazz Aviation, Air Canada’s regional partner. According to a statement released by the operator, the aircraft was carrying 72 passengers and four crew members. Lack of staff impacts airports in the US Passengers queue for passport checks at Atlanta international airport, in the USA, on March 21, 2026. Jeff Amy/ AP Although there is no confirmation of the link between the lack of staff and the accident involving the CRJ-900 aircraft, airports in the United States have been suffering for months with a reduced number of employees. The President of the United States, Donald Trump, said this Sunday (22) that agents from the Immigration and Customs Service (ICE) will operate at airports across the country starting this Monday (23) to help employees of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). Trump had already made this threat on Saturday (21), if Democratic senators do not approve the Department of Homeland Security’s budget project. “On Monday, ICE will go to airports to help our wonderful TSA agents who have remained on the job,” he said in a post on Truth Social on Sunday. ➡️ The threat was an attempt by Trump to pressure the senators, who on Friday (20) vetoed the Department of Homeland Security’s budget project. The impasse occurs because Democrats demand changes in ICE practices, following the wave of protests over the deaths of two US citizens, Renée Good and Alex Pretti, by immigration agents in Minnesota (read more below). As a result, funding for the Department of Homeland Security is frozen, and many airport security employees have stopped working because they are not receiving salaries. The strike generated long queues at the main airports in the United States this Saturday. The vast majority of TSA employees are considered essential and continue to work during the suspension of government funding, but without pay. Still, many of them have been absent, citing health reasons due to the lack of wages. See the videos that are trending on g1 Democrats’ demand Democrats demand a series of policy changes within the ICE budget bill, including: The requirement that ICE agents obtain a court warrant before forcibly entering homes; That officers wear identifying information on their uniforms and prohibit the use of masks. “The American people can no longer take this out-of-control agency. We need to control it. And we are negotiating now how to do that,” said Senator Patty Murray, top Democrat on the Senate Budget Committee. The Trump administration says it has already agreed to several changes, including: The expanded use of body cameras, with exceptions for covert operations; The limitation of civil inspection activities in sensitive locations, such as hospitals, schools and places of worship. Republicans also note that Trump fired Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and put Tom Homan in charge of operations in Minneapolis. The changes, they said, demonstrate the government’s intention to promote changes in ICE operations. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York said he would introduce an alternative measure later Saturday to fund only the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), which screens passengers and luggage for dangerous items. Behind the scenes, efforts to resolve the impasse intensified on Friday. The head of border patrol, also known as “border czar”, Tom Homan, met for the second day in a row with a bipartisan group of senators. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-South Dakota, said he sees “room for compromise.” Congress is expected to go into an extended recess at the end of March due to the two-week spring break. Thune threatened to keep senators in Washington if the impasse is not resolved. “I can’t imagine us going into recess if the government continues to be shut down,” Thune said.

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