REPAIRS AT JFK AIRPORT MAY ADD TO DELAYS

Flight delays are likely to increase this spring and summer at New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK), the busiest international aviation hub in the U.S., due to closure of the facility’s largest runway, known as the “Bay Runway,” from March through June.  The three-mile strip—the second longest in the country—will be undergoing repair as part of a  massive improvement project aimed at reducing arrival and departure delays at JFK, which has averaged 25% of flights delayed over the last few years.

The runway has typically handled a third to one half of the airport’s traffic, so its closure has the potential to cause further delays at a terminal already notorious for long waits.  Activity will be diverted to JFK’s other three runways during the four month repair period, however, under certain wind conditions, the airport could be down to a single operational strip.  Officials claim the long-term benefits, expected to prevent more than 10,000 hours of delays each year, are worth the short-term nuisance, which they predict will be manageable.

All of the major airlines operating out of JFK have agreed to delay the start of their summer flight schedules until July 1. This will result in fewer than normal flights in June, and could mean notable schedule disruptions during that month.  JFK, which handled more than 26 million passengers in the first ten months of 2009, is a hub for JetBlue Airways and a major gateway for Delta Airlines.

Authorities say the runway’s overhaul is long overdue; the Bay Runway has been the airport’s predominant surface since the first commercial flight took off there in 1948.  The repairs involve resurfacing the asphalt with concrete, increasing the width by 50 feet, upgrading lighting and electrical systems, and renovating the airfield’s taxiways.

The main runway will only be partly reopened in July, with work expected to be completed in entirety by the end of 2011.  In September of this year, another runway at the airport will be closed for two weeks as part of the renovation project.

Anyone planning travel to, from or through JFK airport in the next few months is advised to check regularly with their airline, and with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which runs the airport, at http://www.panynj.gov/alerts-advisories.