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Major airport shut after plane collides with vehicle on runway

A busy New York airport has closed after a plane collided with a Port Authority vehicle on the runway.

The New York City Fire Department said firefighters responded to reports of a plane crashing into a vehicle on the runway of LaGuardia Airport in Queens at 11.38pm on Sunday (2.38pm Monday AEDT).

The airport said a Jazz Aviation flight operating on behalf of Air Canada struck a Port Authority aircraft rescue and firefighting vehicle that was responding to a separate incident.

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The collision on runway four, which flight-tracking sites said featured Air Canada flight AC8646, sparked emergency protocols.

"The Port Authority Police Department is on scene along with the agency's chairman and executive director," LaGuardia Airport said in a statement.

"The airport is currently closed to facilitate the response and allow for a thorough investigation. This is a developing situation based on preliminary information.

"The Port Authority Police Department is working closely with our airline partners as well as federal authorities and will provide additional updates as more details become available."

The New York Police Department said all streets and highway exists into the airport were closed until further notice due to an "emergency incident".

A notice on the Federal Aviation Administration's National Airspace System Status showed La Guardia as closed 12 minutes after the crash.

Eighteen flights had been diverted from La Guardia within a couple of hours of the collision, Flightradar24 reported.

Multiple videos taken by bystanders and posted on social media showed the jet with severe damage to the front of the aircraft.

– Reported with Associated Press

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