Idaho Falls Airport to halt commercial flights for a week
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The following is a news release from the city of Idaho Falls.
IDAHO FALLS — The Idaho Falls Regional Airport (IDA) will temporarily close its commercial service Runway 2/20 for rehabilitation in September and encourages customers to plan their travel accordingly.
Runway 2/20 will close for six (6) days, beginning at 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 5. The runway will reopen for commercially scheduled airline flights at 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2018. The airport has coordinated and notified all airlines of the construction, and they will not be offering flights in and out of Idaho Falls for the duration of the runway closure.
The closure is necessary to accomplish Phase 2 of the $9 million Taxiway A, C and Runway 2/20 Rehabilitation project, which is the airport’s commercial service. Runway 2/20 is the only runway at IDA long enough for the scheduled airlines to operate from safely.
“Although the closure is not happening until September, we want to give customers ample advanced notice so they can plan their business and leisure flights accordingly,” states IDA Director, Craig Davis.
This project requires a large amount of coordination by multiple agencies. After receiving input from all scheduled airlines, the Federal Aviation Administration, contractor, engineer and the construction manager, the airport selected the dates and times that would have the least impact to the airlines and customers.
“We apologize for any inconvenience this closure may cause. We appreciate your understanding and patience as we continue to improve aviation safety and security at the Idaho Falls Regional Airport,” says Davis.
The other runway at the airport, Runway 17/35 will remain open during this timeframe. However, due to the short length of the runway, no commercial airlines can operate from it and therefore can only be used by private general aviation aircraft.
All general aviation pilots are encouraged to check local Notices to Airmen (NOTAMS) prior to operating to and from IDA, as operating conditions are subject to change.