Debrecen4U July 17, 2024

Traffic can resume at Debrecen International Airport on Thursday night

Debrecen International Airport is expected to resume accepting flights to and from Debrecen on Thursday the 18th of July at 0.30 a.m. local time.

As reported earlier, on the evening of the 11th of July, during an inspection of the runway at Debrecen International Airport, airport staff detected a defect in the condition of the concrete surface caused by thermal expansion due to the extremely high and prolonged temperature. The concrete elements expanded and several were damaged, and the airport was closed. It is not unprecedented for extreme heat to cause damage to an airport runway and cause traffic to be shut down, as happened in London in 2022.

The staff of Debrecen International Airport Ltd.. in close professional cooperation with the Ministry of National Economy and the Municipality of Debrecen immediately started to repair the damage caused to the runway last Thursday and to replace the concrete slabs.

The experts then carried out further condition assessments and technical inspections to ensure that the runway could be put back into operation with minimum risk to safety.

Over the weekend, Mayor László Papp visited the site, where he and the management of Debrecen airport inspected the process of repairing the runway defects. He reported that the contractor had already completed the first phase and that the second phase was scheduled for completion early this week.

“In cooperation with the airlines, 10 departing and 10 arriving flights have so far been diverted to Liszt Ferenc International Airport. However, the cancellation of one flight from London has become unavoidable. This incident has also highlighted the importance of Debrecen International Airport in the transport, economic and tourism life of the region and the city. We are all working to ensure that problems are solved as quickly as possible and that no one’s business trip or holiday is disrupted. Thank you for the patience and understanding shown by the travelling public,” the Mayor wrote in his Facebook post.

“In order to handle the increased number of phone calls in recent days more efficiently and to provide passengers with more effective information, Debrecen International Airport has made additional phone numbers available in addition to the existing telephone contact, so that their colleagues will be available to help passengers with information during the period between 4.00 -7.00 p.m. with increased capacity. Contacts with partner airlines and travel agencies will continue to be maintained in order to ensure that airport staff can provide the most comprehensive information to their passengers,” the Debrecen Airport said in a statement,” Debrecen International Airport said in a statement on Wednesday.

Source: dehir.hu