Officials work together after some carriers suspend operations at Columbia Regional Airport
Columbia Regional Airport staff, consulting engineers and the city are working together Sunday after airport officials announced Saturday night that several airline carriers have suspended flights to and from Columbia due to runway condition and safety concerns, said city spokesperson Steve Sapp.
“We recognize the seriousness of the issue and are devoting resources towards resolving it,” Sapp said.
He said he expects to have more information Monday morning.
According to a press release, United Airlines regional carrier SkyWest and American Airlines carriers Mesa Airlines and Envoy Air have temporarily halted flights.
This comes after several delays and cancellations in flights since Thursday.
The runway in question, 13-31, has been declared safe by COU officials despite the concerns.
According to officials, the main runway 2-20 closed for maintenance April 1 and so the newly renovated 13-31 is serving as the main runway in the interim.
Staff and engineers apparently met with the airlines before 2-20 closed for maintance to talk about using 13-31 temporarily.
“They did not indicate any issues with using runway 13-31 in the interim,” the city said in a press release.
Air Wisconsin, which regionally operates United Air lines, is flying as scheduled.
COU is still open and operational. Airlines determine their flight schedules and statuses.
If you need to get information about your flight, you can call United Airlines at 800-864-8331 and American Airlines at 800-433-7300.
COU, city staff, Federal Aviation Administration officials and COU airline partners are set to talk Monday via conference call to discuss the concerns.
“COU sincerely apologizes for the angst and frustration this situation has caused our customers,” staff said in the release. “Additional information will be shared as soon as it’s available.”
