Airport resurfacing project to affect airlines
A runway resurfacing project will force some commercial airlines at Spokane International Airport to reduce total weight on passenger flights this July.
About one-third of Spokane’s main runway will be resurfaced between July 12 and July 20. To adjust to shorter takeoffs, airlines that serve longer routes will have to leave dozens of seats empty, airline officials said this week.
The work will affect only flights leaving Spokane during that period. “All flights arriving in Spokane will not be affected by the runway work,” said Spokane Airport spokesman Todd Woodard.
The resurfacing will shorten takeoffs on the 9,000-foot main runway by 3,000 feet. The area being resurfaced is the intersection of the main runway and the airport’s second runway.
Spokane International handles about 70 departures a day during the summer, according to Woodard.
Flights affected include Alaska Airlines’ one daily non-stop to Los Angeles, United’s one daily flight to Chicago and Northwest Airlines’ two summer flights to Minneapolis, airline representatives said.
The flights that would not be affected are roughly two dozen daily departures that use turboprop aircraft instead of jets. Those daily departures are offered by Horizon Air, SkyWest Airline and Big Sky Airlines.
Southwest Airlines, the commercial airline with the most passengers in Spokane, said its flights will not likely be disrupted at all.
“It’s not because of the jets we have; it’s that all our flights are relatively short” and don’t need to carry as much fuel as planes do to serve longer routes, said Southwest spokeswoman Angela Vargo. The airline’s longest flight from Spokane is to Las Vegas, she said.
Likewise, Alaska Airlines spokesman Greg Witter said the restriction “should have no impact on our Spokane-to-Seattle flights.”
Alaska’s Los Angeles flight normally carries about 138 passengers. During the eight-day project, those flights will carry 44 fewer passengers, Witter said. United’s daily flight to Chicago will leave with 30 empty seats on aircraft normally holding about 130 passengers, said spokesman Jeff Green.
Spokane airport officials said other flights could be disrupted, but it’s uncertain how many.
On hot days, nearly all commercial jet aircraft leaving Spokane could face weight and passenger reductions, said Woodard. On those days — particularly in the afternoon — airlines typically have to reduce weight to add extra wing lift, Woodard said.
By the end of October the remaining 6,000 feet of the main runway will also be resurfaced, said Woodard. The remaining work on the runway won’t disrupt flights, as the second runway stretches 8,200 feet and can handle all departures, said Woodard.
Airport officials did not have a total price tag for the runway resurfacing. Bids will be opened in the next two weeks, with a contract awarded June 16. Ninety-five percent of the cost of the project will be covered by money provided by the federal Airport Improvement Program. That money comes from 8 percent surcharges added to passenger tickets.
The main runway was last surfaced about 10 years ago, Woodard said. “The typical usage period is from eight to 10 years for a runway for an airport of our volume,” he said.