An Air Canada Express jet collided with a firefighting vehicle responding to a separate incident while landing at New York’s LaGuardia Airport, killing both pilots while two dozen others sustained varying degrees of injury in the United States.
The Air Canada Express CRJ-900 plane, operated by its regional partner Jazz Aviation, was carrying 72 passengers and four crew members from Montreal, Canada.
According to the executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Kathryn Garcia, who confirmed the incident which occurred Sunday evening, the plane was carrying 72 people and four crew members, while the vehicle was carrying two.
Garcia disclosed that following the incident, LaGuardia Airport will be closed until “at least” 14:00 local time (18:00 GMT) on Monday, adding that an investigation “has already begun” on site.
The affected plane was said to be arriving from Montreal and had landed when it collided with a vehicle from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which runs the airport.
All on board the plane have been accounted for, Garcia said, while also saying the sergeant and police officer who were inside the firefighting vehicle were in a stable condition in hospital “with no life-threatening injuries.”
“I visited them both in the hospital, as has the chairman, and they were able to speak and we’re notifying their families,” said Garcia.
LaGuardia Airport also confirmed the incident in a statement, stating the aircraft “struck a Port Authority Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting vehicle that was responding to a separate incident.”
“Emergency response protocols were immediately activated. The Port Authority Police Department is on scene along with the agency’s Chairman and Executive Director.”
In a statement on X, the New York City Police Department told people to “expect delays and avoid the area if possible.”
“Due to an emergency incident at LaGuardia Airport, all streets and highway exits into the airport are closed until further notice.”
The New York City Fire Department posted on X, telling people to “expect cancellations, road closures, traffic delays and emergency personnel near LaGuardia Airport.”
Meanwhile, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said it was deploying a team of technical experts to investigate the incident, while the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the airport was expected to remain shut until 2 p.m. ET (1800 GMT) on Monday.
