Midway airport financed through Sept. 30

By Jan TenBruggencate
Advertiser Staff Writer

Congress' approval of the federal budget last week provided secure financing for the operation of Midway Atoll's airport, keeping it available for emergency landings like that of a Continental Airlines jet Jan. 6 with 294 people on board.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which operates the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, has been keeping the airfield open with emergency money provided on a month-by-month basis while awaiting a long-term source of revenue.

The service had been within days of closing the field when the Continental flight from Japan to Texas developed an oil leak in one of its two engines. It put down at Midway and stayed there to await the arrival of repair crews and spare parts.

Sen. Dan Inouye, D-Hawai'i, announced that the federal Department of Transportation would provide $3.2 million to keep the airport running through the end of the federal fiscal year on Sept. 30.

"The emergency landing earlier this month, which ensured the safety of the nearly 300 people on board, dramatically underscores the importance of this runway," Inouye said in a news release. "Midway currently serves as the only emergency landing facility in this region of the Pacific."

In addition to the operations money, Midway in December was authorized up to $2.5 million for repairs and upgrades through the Century of Aviation Reauthorization Act, said Barbara Maxfield, spokeswoman for the Fish and Wildlife Service's Pacific islands office.

The service has three employees and one volunteer on Midway. About 45 other people are on the island from airport contractor Chugach McKinley and its subcontracting firms.

Reach Jan TenBruggencate at jant@honoluluadvertiser.com or (808) 245-3074.