News: Emergency repairs carried out on Bristol International runway
Flights > News > # 1140 (08/01/2007)
Flights will resume at Bristol International airport this morning after hundreds were cancelled or diverted over the weekend.
Ten airlines refused to land at the airport amid concerns over the reliability of the newly resurfaced runway in wet weather conditions.
The runway was closed last night (Sunday) as emergency repairs were carried out to dig drainage grooves into the tarmac. It was scheduled to re-open at 10am this morning, with the first flight, a Continental service from New York, due to land just before 11am.
Problems began on Friday after Easyjet refused to use the airport amid fears planes were skidding when landing in wet weather, affecting braking distances.
Bristol International’s aviation development director, Tony Halwood, said an army of contractors worked through the night to put grooves into the runway in order to increase friction, but denied it had ever been unsafe. He said: “The Civil Aviation Authority made it very clear that they were happy to continue operations and Bristol International has always said over the weekend that we'll never compromise passenger safety.”
Passengers are advised to contact airlines directly for further information about specific flights from Bristol over the next few days.
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