Runway at New York’s LaGuardia airport reopens after collision that killed two pilots

Pilots die after plane collides with vehicle at New York airport The runway where two pilots died in a collision between a jet and a fire truck reopened Thursday morning at New York’s LaGuardia Airport, which operated at limited capacity all week as investigators examined the wreckage and cleanup crews removed debris. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said the yard resumed operations around 10 a.m. after the runway and its associated infrastructure were “repaired, inspected and confirmed” to be in compliance with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations for safe operation. The agency, which oversees the region’s airports, said the reopening of the second of two runways at LaGuardia, one of the country’s busiest airports, will help “restore full operational capacity.” Despite this, it advised travelers to still check flight status with their airlines. LaGuardia continues to record the highest number of delays and cancellations of any airport in the country, with more than 300 flights canceled in the last 24 hours, according to FlightAware, a flight tracking website. Meanwhile, the bodies of the two Air Canada pilots were being repatriated to Canada. Rescue teams watch on March 23, 2026 as an Air Canada plane crashed into a fire truck at LaGuardia Airport in Queens, New York, United States. Seth Wenig/AP Pilots carried the coffin of Jazz Aviation first officer Mackenzie Gunther off a plane at Ottawa International Airport on Thursday afternoon. Captain Antoine Forest’s body was then flown from Ottawa to Montreal-Trudeau International Airport. Gunther, 30, and Forest, 24, died when their Air Canada plane collided with a fire truck after landing at LaGuardia. Hundreds of pilots and flight staff waited in the rain, lined up in front of Air Canada’s headquarters in Montreal, to honor Forest. Capt. Tim Perry, president of the Canadian Airline Pilots Association, said the pilot community is mourning the two young aviators. “No family should have to go through this,” he said. New York’s La Guardia airport is among those most affected by the absence of TSA agents Getty Images via BBC The wrecked Air Canada plane and fire truck were towed from the crash site late on Wednesday, as the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) continues its investigation. The agency said Thursday that the truck had been placed in an undisclosed secure location, and referred questions about the plane’s status to Air Canada, which did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. The airline said the plane would be placed in a hangar and would soon begin the process of reuniting passengers with their luggage and personal belongings. Michael Rousseau, the company’s CEO, also apologized on Thursday for his inability to express himself in French, after facing calls to resign over his English-only condolence message. The accident occurred late Sunday night when an Air Canada regional jet flying from Montreal with 76 people on board struck an airport fire truck that had initially been allowed to cross the runway to respond to a separate incident on another plane. About 40 people were treated in hospitals for injuries, including the two firefighters and a flight attendant who survived after being thrown onto the tarmac while still strapped into her seat. Most have already been discharged from the hospital.

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