NEW YORK — Inbound flights heading to LaGuardia Airport were grounded Saturday evening by federal aviation regulators, triggering immediate delays across an operation serving roughly 745 daily flights.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed a ground stop—meaning aircraft scheduled to fly to LaGuardia must remain on the tarmac at their departure cities. FAA operational data lists non-weather operational factors ("other") as the cause, with the order scheduled to expire at 5:30 p.m. EST.
Local weather in Queens is not a factor. Surface observations report mostly clear skies, 10 miles of visibility, a temperature of 46 degrees Fahrenheit, and winds at 16 mph.
What This Means
Even a brief ground stop disrupts LaGuardia's tightly calibrated schedule. The airport operates with virtually no margin for excess traffic on its two intersecting runways.
When inbound planes cannot depart on schedule, the gates at LaGuardia empty out, followed by a sudden rush of arrivals once the FAA lifts the freeze. BTS historical data from the past six months shows LaGuardia posts an average on-time rate of 73.4%. When flights are delayed here, the average wait stretches to 78 minutes. Today's pause will drag that performance down significantly for the remainder of the evening.
What To Do
If you are waiting to board a flight to LaGuardia, do not expect a quick turnaround once the ground stop lifts. Aircraft will be metered into New York airspace in waves to avoid overwhelming air traffic controllers, meaning departure rolls at outstations will be staggered.
If you are departing LaGuardia tonight, track the physical location of the inbound plane assigned to your flight. If that inbound aircraft has not left its departure city yet, your scheduled takeoff time will almost certainly slide backward.
Outlook
The order is scheduled to end at 5:30 p.m. EST. Clear skies will help air traffic controllers land planes at maximum runway capacity once arrivals resume. However, clearing the airborne backlog and resetting aircraft rotations will require a two- to three-hour recovery window, keeping departures delayed well past 8:00 p.m.