Milwaukee Airport Reopened

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MILWAUKEE (GaeaTimes.com)- The General Mitchell International Airport was reopened on Friday afternoon at around 1.p.m after heavy rains resulted in a complete shutdown on Thursday night. The authorities were left with no other option but to close down the airport following torrential rains that submerged the runways that made the arrival and departure of the flights almost impossible. Milwaukee witnessed extensive rainfall on Thursday which led to widespread flooding across the city.

A spokesperson of the General Mitchell International Airport revealed to the media that accumulation of water along the roads surrounding the airport as well as the airfield prompted the authorities to shut down the facility. A press release that was issued by the airport officials on Friday, pointed out that due to the pumping and cleaning measures of the maintenance crews, one of the runways of the main airport of Milwaukee could be reopened within such a short notice. The Milwaukee airport spokesperson Ryan McAdams, however, could not divulge details about the tentative time when the other runways could start operation. The spokesperson explained that as around two feet deep water flooded the medians surrounding the runways and it was gradually spilling into the runway, the airport officials took the decision to shut down the facility although it caused major inconvenience to the air travelers.

Due to the closure of Milwaukee’s airport, air carried AirTran canceled as many as 39 flights which were scheduled to depart from the airport while around eight flights were diverted to nearby airports. As the flights of other major airlines were also terminated, large number of passengers were left stranded in the airport.