LaGuardia Airport runway reopens, days after crash on tarmac killed 2 Canadian pilots

Pilots carry the casket during the repatriation of Jazz Aviation First Officer Mackenzie Gunther, who died after his Air Canada Express plane collided with a fire truck at New York's LaGuardia Airport, in Ottawa, Ontario, Thursday, March 26, 2026. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP) 2026-03-26T16:06:04Z NEW YORK (AP) — 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 had been operating at limited capacity all week as investigators examined the wreckage and work crews cleaned up debris.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said the tarmac resumed operations at around 10 a.m. after the runway and its associated infrastructure were “repaired, inspected, and confirmed” to meet Federal Aviation Administration regulations for safe operation.

The agency, which oversees the region’s airports, said reopening the second of two runways at LaGuardia, one of the busiest airports in the nation, will help “restore full operational capacity,” though it advised travelers to still check with their airline for flight status.

LaGuardia continues to register the most delays and cancellations among airports in the country with more than 300 canceled in the last 24 hours, according to Flight Aware , a flight tracking website.

The bodies of the two Air Canada pilots , meanwhile, were being repatriated to Canada.

The remains of the first officer, Mackenzie Gunther, arrived Thursday at Ottawa International Airport.

Capt.

Antoine Forest’s body was being flow to Montréal Trudeau International Airport, according to The Air Line Pilots Association.

The association said the deaths of the two young aviators have shaken up the industry.

Forest’s death has sparked an outpouring of sympathy in his hometown of Coteau-du-Lac, Quebec, southwest of Montreal.

Gunther, 30, and Forest, 24, died when their Air Canada plane collided with a firetruck after landing at the airport.

The destroyed Air Canada plane and the fire truck were towed from the crash site late Wednesday as the National Transportation Safety Board continues its investigation.

The agency said Thursday that the truck has been placed in an undisclosed, secure location and deferred to questions about the status of the plane to Air Canada, which didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

The airline has said the plane would be placed in a hangar and that it would soon begin the process of reunit

原文链接: AP News