LaGuardia was dedicated in 1939 and has been New York's close-in airport, with a famous Art Deco terminal for Pan Am's flying boats, ever since.
Airliners and cargo flights within 25 nm of LGA. Routes come from a community database matched on flight numbers, so a few will be wrong or out of date. Flights without a route are marked "est." and judged from altitude and climb or descent.
History
The site was Gala Amusement Park until 1929, then a private airfield called Glenn H. Curtiss Airport, renamed North Beach Airport in 1935. Mayor Fiorello La Guardia pushed to make it a commercial airport. New York Municipal Airport-LaGuardia Field was dedicated on October 15, 1939, and opened for business on December 2.
The Marine Air Terminal opened in 1940 for Pan American's Boeing 314 flying boats, and the first Clipper left for Lisbon on March 31, 1940. Its Art Deco rotunda holds James Brooks's mural Flight, about 237 feet long, and it became a New York City landmark in 1980. Transatlantic flights moved to Idlewild, now JFK, in 1951.
In 1984 the Port Authority adopted the perimeter rule, limiting nonstop flights to destinations about 1,500 miles away or less, with Denver as the original exception. A rebuild of the terminals began in 2016.
Quick facts
- Codes
- LGA / KLGA
- Opened
- December 2, 1939 (dedicated October 15)
- Marine Air Terminal
- 1940, for Pan Am flying boats
- Runways
- 4/22 and 13/31
- Perimeter rule
- 1984, about 1,500 miles
Sources: The History Of New York's LaGuardia Airport (Classic New York History), LaGuardia's Marine Air Terminal (Flight Wisdom)
Watch and listen
Listen to live air traffic control for LGA on LiveATC. The feeds come from volunteers, so availability varies.
Where plane spotters watch
- Planeview Park, beside 23rd AvenueRunway 04 arrivals pass low overhead and runway 22 departures are clearly visible. There are benches, and you will mostly see A320-family aircraft, 737s and regional jets.
- World's Fair Marina boardwalkRunway 13 departures climb out over Flushing Bay, often with New York scenery behind them. Good for side-on shots, best in late afternoon and evening.
As described in: 7 Great Places For Plane Spotting In New York (Airport Spotting). Guides can be out of date. Stay on public property, follow posted rules, and never block roads or driveways.