LaGuardia Runway Reopened After Pothole Caused Delays

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A LaGuardia Airport runway has reopened after a pothole caused delays.

The Port Authority told CBS2 that an aircraft reported seeing damaged pavement on runway 13-31.

"At around 3:10 p.m. Wednesday, LGA staff shut down runway 13/31 after a departing plane reported seeing pavement damage on the runway. Emergency repairs are underway and the runway is expected to reopen tonight," Neal Buccino, Port Authority spokesperson, told CBS2 in a statement.

The runway reopened at 8 p.m. after being shutdown for five hours and causing a backlog of planes on the tarmac.

There are delays of up to an hour on departures.

"We thought we were departing the plane and the pilot basically said there were 27 planes on the tarmac and we had to wait another hour," one passenger told CBS2.

Another passenger said, "I was supposed to leave at 9 p.m. Hopefully I'll make it to Miami by 7 a.m. to go to Havana."

Flights were departing from runway 13 before it closed at about 3 p.m. today, according to the FAA.

The cause of the damage is unknown.