A small regional airport in northern Michigan has resumed normal operations after flood waters made it’s runways inoperable for weeks.
The Pellston Airport typically has daily flights to Detroit Metro Airport and seasonal connections to Chicago.
The airport’s director, Jeff Mallory, says all flights were cancelled since April 11, making it the longest closure the airport has had in decades.
“I know it was painful,” Mallory said. “A lot of people had to make a lot of different arrangements to get through this. We had a heck of a winter and now we had heck of a spring, but you know, the grass is green and we're going to start flying airplanes again.”
Mallory said the airport’s secondary runway used for crosswind take offs and landings is still partially underwater and will open in a few days.
Pumps were diverting water away from runways around the clock for weeks, according to the airport’s Facebook page.
According to Mallory, water was being diverted into grassy areas between the paved taxiways and runways, creating a small lake.
“The biggest thing was just getting it away from the actual runways themselves,” Mallory said. “We still have the water in some places, but it's in a place where we can manage it and it doesn't affect the airport operation.”
Mallory said safety is always the airport's biggest priority, and part of that includes following Federal Aviation Administration standards closely to make sure the runways weren’t damaged from water.
“People had the thought that once the water was off the runway, we could open and that just wasn't the case,” Mallory said.
The prolonged closure was a big financial loss, according to Mallory. But he won’t know the full impact for about a year. He says the airport is still feeling the financial effects from last year’s historic ice storm.
