FAA Puts a Three-to-Five-Year Clock on Midway's Runway

According to the FAA, the airfield at Midway Atoll (MDY) needs substantial rehabilitation within three to five years if it is to stay open. The field's value is the role it fills on long overwater Pacific routes, where it serves as a diversion point for extended-range twin-engine flights, known as ETOPS. Airlines are pressing to keep it available. For anyone who has planned an oceanic leg, the issue is simple: an alternate is only useful if its pavement and services are still there when you need them. For now, the agency has given the timeline and the scope of the problem, and the next step is deciding who takes on the work.

With reporting from AVweb.