- The FAA issued a ground stop at LaGuardia Airport due to law enforcement activity, per Fox News.
- Unconfirmed social media posts claimed a prisoner had escaped from FBI agents at the airport.
Flights were grounded for the second time this week at New York's LaGuardia Airport on Wednesday, Fox News first reported
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) told Insider the ground stop was implemented due to "law enforcement activity."
Flights later resumed, the FAA said, without disclosing the nature of the activity.
Social media posts, such as one from American journalist Andy Slater, claimed the law enforcement activity involved a prisoner escaping from the FBI at the airport. His claim has not been confirmed.
WABC reported four hours after the Fox News report that flights had resumed but were being delayed by an average of 45 minutes.
The Port Authority referred Insider to the FAA for comment on the grounded flights.
It was the second ground stop to be issued at LaGuardia this week. The FAA imposed one on Monday evening and warned that flights could be delayed by up to two hours due to staffing issues in air traffic control, according to Reuters. The ground stop was later lifted.
Staff shortages continue to cause huge problems for the airline industry. The gaps in the workforce, partly caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, have caused flight disruption, lost baggage, and airline crew to time out, leaving passengers stranded.
LaGuardia airport was ranked the worst US airport for cancellations, with 7.7% of all flights being scrapped, according to claims-management firm AirHelp.