Modlin airport runway repairs to be completed by Friday

Modlin airport: photo - wikpedia/CC

Slawomir Adam from the Civil Aviation Authority has told Polish Radio that the repair work on the runway – which was shortened to 1500 metres from 2500 metres after cracks appeared on the airstrip at the new airport 45 kilometers from the capital – will end on Friday.

Low-cost airline Ryanair issued a statement just before Christmas saying that the “runway closure will cause significant flight delays, diversions and possible cancellations and Ryanair intends to divert all Warsaw flights, where possible, to Warsaw Chopin airport, until 24:00hrs Thursday 8 Jan 2013.”

Last month, the no-frills Wizz Air suspended flights to Modlin, due to a lack of safety guidance systems for landing aircraft and estimated that it had lost up to 2 million euro due to not being able to land planes in foggy weather.

“Following weeks of continual disruption at Warsaw Modlin Airport, Wizz Air […] has taken the unprecedented decision to move all its Christmas operations from midnight 17th December until midnight 6th January from Modlin Airport (WMI) to Warsaw Chopin (WAW),” the airline said.

Then, in late December, the state building inspector ordered the runway to be closed after cracks and holes began to appear, causing all aircraft using Boeing 737s - which need a runway longer than 1500 metres - to find alternative airports.

Management advisor to Modlin airport, Edyta Mikolajczyk, has refused to say when flights will resume, however, confirming only that runway repair work will finish at the end of this week.

The work will then be studied by the Regional Building Inspectorate and Civil Aviation Authority before flights can resume at the airport, which opened to commercial traffic in the summer of 2012.

The process is thought to take at least until the middle of next week. (pg)