 "2 planes collide in New York as US airlines struggle with harsh weather & staffing issues amid govt shutdown")
Two planes collided on the tarmac at New York’s LaGuardia Airport on Friday as the United States grapples with travel delays brought on by weather and staffing shortages. The aviation industry has been struggling since the government shutdown rocked the country.
According to The New York Times, a United Airlines plane returning from Orlando, Florida, was turning into its arrival gate when it clipped the tail of another United jet on the taxiway. The spokesperson for the airline told the news outlet that the clipped plane, which was waiting to be taxied for its journey to Houston, was stationed when the collision happened.
“We all felt a bump during taxi to the runway but didn’t know it was another plane until the captain said it was,” a passenger, who declined to share their name, told The New York Post moments after the collision.
Video obtained by the American news outlet showed numerous emergency vehicles at the scene after the collision occurred. Both planes eventually returned to the gate, and all passengers departed.
No injuries reported
The authorities made it clear that there were no injuries reported among the two planes’ 328 passengers and 15 crew members. In the video, maintenance crews were spotted evaluating the clipped plane for any malfunctions following the collision.
According to The New York Post, the Houston-bound plane was already running on a 90-minute delay, which continued to grow through the night. After the incident, LaGuardia guarded both the planes several hours earlier because of intense winds.
Ground delays were running at an average of two hours and 15 minutes at LaGuardia, though some planes were delayed as much as five hours. On the same day, the National Weather Service issued a wind advisory through midnight.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsAirports across the country were already grappling with air traffic control staffing shortages, which Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy predicted would cause “disaster” if the shutdown continued into November and into the holidays.
“Unpaid air traffic controllers may be forced to leave work to find a second job to pay their bills, and you’re going to have mass issues throughout the airspace,” he warned.
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