Meanwhile, an important emergency landing site in the Pacific Ocean that figures in ETOPS planning for airline flights and long-range business aircraft flights will remain open … at least until Sept. 30. Midway Island’s airport was to have closed on Jan. 30 because the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which used to maintain it, ran out of money. The Department of Transportation came up with $3.2 million to keep it open until the end of the current fiscal year. FAA spokesman William Shumann said beyond that date the fate of the field is unknown. The runway at the former U.S. Naval station showed its value last Jan. 6 when a Continental Airlines Boeing 777, with 279 passengers aboard, was forced to land there with engine trouble. The diversion came about three weeks before the scheduled closure of Midway and prompted a hurried response from the Department of Transportation. On Jan. 27, Sen. Dan Inouye (D-Hawaii) announced the funding had been secured for the balance of the current fiscal year. “The emergency landing earlier this month, which ensured the safety of the nearly 300 people on board, dramatically underscores the importance of this runway,” Inouye said in a news release. “Midway currently serves as the only emergency landing facility in this region of the Pacific.”
…Midway Funded Through Sept. 30
Key Takeaways:
- Midway Island's airport, a critical ETOPS emergency landing site in the Pacific, faced closure due to a lack of funding from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
- The airport's value was recently demonstrated when a Continental Airlines Boeing 777 with 279 passengers made an emergency landing there due to engine trouble.
- The Department of Transportation secured $3.2 million to keep the facility open until September 30, highlighting its importance as the only emergency landing facility in that Pacific region.
- Despite the temporary funding, the long-term fate of Midway Island's airport beyond the current fiscal year remains unknown.
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