LaGuardia runway collision shuts airport, forcing Boston-area travelers to reroute as cancellations ripple Monday

A fatal runway collision triggers a major Northeast air travel disruption

A runway collision at New York’s LaGuardia Airport late Sunday night, March 22, 2026, prompted a full closure of the airport and set off widespread travel disruptions across the Northeast corridor, including for Boston-area passengers scheduled to fly to or connect through New York on Monday.

Officials said an Air Canada Express regional jet operating from Montreal to LaGuardia struck an airport fire-rescue vehicle while landing. The pilot and co-pilot were killed, and several other people were injured. The crash occurred shortly before midnight local time, and LaGuardia suspended arrivals and departures as emergency crews responded and investigators began securing the scene.

What is known about the sequence of events

Authorities said the fire-rescue vehicle was crossing the runway to respond to a separate report involving an odor on another aircraft. The collision happened on Runway 4 during the Air Canada Express flight’s landing roll. Federal investigators were dispatched to determine how the runway became occupied while a landing aircraft was on approach and in the final phase of landing.

Investigators are expected to focus on runway access authorizations, radio communications, vehicle routing, and visibility and situational awareness during the response to the earlier onboard-odor report.

How the closure affects Boston travelers

For travelers departing from Boston Logan International Airport, LaGuardia’s closure translated into cancellations, diversions, and same-day rebooking bottlenecks. LaGuardia is one of the busiest airports in the New York region and a critical node for short-haul routes used heavily by business travelers and same-day round trips. When it closes, passenger volumes tend to shift quickly to nearby airports while aircraft and crews are repositioned, creating cascading delays.

In practical terms, Boston passengers bound for LaGuardia faced a limited set of immediate alternatives: rebooking to other New York–area airports, rebooking to later LaGuardia flights once service resumes, or shifting to rail or bus for same-day travel when seats were scarce.

Common rerouting options passengers used Monday

• Rebooking to John F. Kennedy International Airport or Newark Liberty International Airport, depending on airline networks and available inventory.
• Switching to rail service between Boston and New York City for same-day travel, then using local transit to reach final destinations.
• Rebooking to Tuesday or later departures when airline schedules stabilize and aircraft rotations are rebuilt.

What comes next

LaGuardia’s reopening timeline depended on emergency operations, debris removal, runway inspection, and investigative work at the scene. Airlines continued to adjust schedules as conditions evolved, with passengers advised to confirm status before traveling to the airport and to review rebooking and refund options tied to cancellations and diversions.

The investigation is expected to proceed in stages, beginning with evidence collection and documentation at the runway, followed by analysis of communications and operational procedures governing runway crossings during active arrival periods.