The International Falls Airport was waiting approval from the F.A.A. to re-open its runway to Mesaba Airline flights on Friday afternoon since required tarmac maintenance is now complete.
A Mesaba flight hasn’t landed at the Falls airport since Tuesday morning due to a runway that didn’t meet F.A.A. standards.
“We are just waiting for approval from the F.A.A. to hear if we can re-open the runway for this afternoon,” Jeff Herberg, general manager of Einarson’s Flying Services, which owns and operates the Falls airport, said Friday morning.
“I think it will happen.
“We’ve been closed since Tuesday to Mesaba because our runway needs some maintenance—seal plating and painting,” Herberg added.
Herberg said the maintenance was scheduled to be completed three days ago but wasn’t because the paint and construction crews were three days late arriving.
As such, the airport was forced to close the runway to Mesaba Airlines, which operates as a Northwest Airlink serving the Falls.
“We didn’t want this to happen but it did so we’ve just been dealing with it hour by hour,” Herberg said.
Since the closure, Mesaba Airlines has been transporting its customers via buses to Hibbing, Mn., where they’ve been boarding a flight to Minneapolis.
The Falls airport remained open to air traffic carrying cargo as well as small planes.
“Any small planes have still been landing because it’s safe,” said Herberg. “Also cargo services has been continuous throughout.”
For more information on the status of Mesaba Airlines flights, call 1-218-283-4630.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
