A regional Air Canada Express plane collided with a fire truck late Sunday on a runway at New York’s LaGuardia Airport, prompting a temporary shutdown of flights at the busy transport hub.
Photos from AFP showed the aircraft’s nose and cockpit heavily damaged, surrounded by emergency vehicles with flashing lights. Authorities have not yet confirmed whether any of the fire crew or the 76 passengers and crew onboard the plane were injured.
The Jazz Aviation-operated CRJ-900 aircraft, flying as Air Canada Express flight AC8646 from Montreal, struck the fire truck on Runway 4 at approximately 11:40 p.m. Sunday (0340 GMT Monday) while the vehicle responded to a separate incident, according to New York’s Port Authority.
A preliminary passenger list indicated the plane carried 72 passengers and four crew members. Flight tracking platform FlightRadar24 reported that the aircraft “was rolling down the runway when it struck” the emergency vehicle as it crossed its path.
The Port Authority said all flights at LaGuardia were temporarily grounded, warning of a “high” likelihood of an extended suspension. Emergency response protocols were immediately activated, it added.
New York’s emergency management authority advised residents to expect cancellations, road closures, and traffic delays near the airport, urging travelers to use alternate routes.
LaGuardia, located in Queens, had already been facing flight disruptions due to poor weather and staffing shortages caused by a federal funding lapse. The airport, New York’s third-busiest, served 33.5 million passengers in 2024 and completed an $8 billion redevelopment last year, upgrading terminals and roadways.
The incident follows several recent aviation accidents and near misses in the United States, including a January 2025 collision between a passenger plane and an army helicopter near Washington that killed 67 people.
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