If the story of the summer for air travelers in the United States had a word, it might be “frustration.” Cancellations and delays blamed on everything from technology to ill-timed thunderstorms and generational weather events have been commonplace.
For people flying in and out of Buffalo, runway construction that has led to changes in flight patterns has not helped the situation in at least one case. But after this weekend, that part of travel trauma should be solved.
Due to construction, Buffalo Niagara International Airport’s runways will close from 9 p.m. until the following morning on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, according to the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority, which operates the airport.
Since the beginning of May, the airport’s main runway has been closed for construction and planes have been taking off and landing on the smaller, backup runway. However, at times, both runways have to be closed to accommodate the construction.
The reason is because the airport’s two runways cross in the middle, forming an X. When work needs to be done on the main runway near the intersection, both runways must be closed, an NFTA spokesperson said in an email to The Buffalo News.
Both runways were closed twice in May, four times in June and three times in July, according to the NFTA. This weekend will mark the 10th and final closure.
“All runway closures were scheduled well in advance and our carriers adjusted their flight schedules to provide for arrival times prior to the closures,” the NFTA said in a statement. “However, when flights are running late, like with the recent storms, it will result in flights being canceled if they cannot make it here in time. Minor delays, like 15 minutes past the closure time, we can accommodate, but any longer would affect the reopening time in the morning, causing all flights to be delayed.”
The NFTA said these weekend closures have been ongoing “with no issues.”
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