Plane and ground vehicle collide at New York’s LaGuardia Airport halting flights

BBC:

New York’s LaGuardia airport has been closed until further notice after an Air Canada Express plane and ground vehicle collided.

The Federal Aviation Administration issued a ground stop for the airport late on Sunday night and said there was a “high” likelihood the order would be extended.

CBS News, the BBC US partner, reported the plane was coming in from Montreal and landed. It slowed down to about 24mph when it collided with a vehicle from the the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which runs the airport.

The plane – a smaller model CRJ 900 that had about 70-90 people on board – suffered significant damage.

Local media report there are a number of injuries.

Video footage on social media show the aircraft, which is operated by Air Canada’s regional partner Jazz aviation, coming to a rest with its nose upturned.

A preliminary passenger list showed there were 76 people onboard which included four crew members, Jazz aviation said in a statement.

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”.

“Use alternate routes,” the post on X said.

The National Transportation Safety Board has launched a team to investigate the collision.