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Henderson Field (MDY) is a small airport on Midway Atoll in the middle of the Pacific Ocean that is not currently served by any scheduled commercial passenger flights. However, its key location between the Americas and the Asia-Pacific region makes it vital to transpacific operations in the event of a flight needing to divert. Now, its role on this front may be under threat as it requires a costly upgrade exceeding $100 million.
This has prompted a flurry of responses from airlines that operate transpacific flights. These carriers are urging the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to proceed with the upgrades and keep the facility open to ensure it can remain an ETOPS alternate airport. If not, such flights would likely have to take less efficient routes, resulting in increased costs for airlines.
$100 Million Upgrades Required At Critical Pacific Diversion Airport
Midway Atoll’s Henderson Field Airport last handled regularly scheduled commercial flights back in 2002. Today, its 40-odd residents are reliant on charter flights, and the condition of the airport has gone downhill in recent years. This has left the FAA weighing up a $100 million upgrade package to keep it open.
The US Department of Transportation (DOT) has stated that “milling, repaving, and seawall repairs” are key parts of this package, with the “runway expected to reach a severe level of deterioration within the next five years.” As such, AIN notes that the FAA has invited comments from aviation stakeholders to make their case for the airport. One was Japanese carrier Zipair, which said:
“There are flights where MDY is necessary, particularly for flights departing from LAX, SJC, and SFO during the summer season. Regardless of the specific percentages, MDY is a critically important airport for our operations throughout the year.”
A Small Airport With Big Safety Implications
As noted by One Mile At A Time, at 7,800 feet (2,377 meters) in length, Midway’s runway 06/24 is not especially long, but it is sufficient for handling widebody aircraft should the need for a diversion arise. This is just as well, as Henderson Field is the only suitable airport for many miles around. Aero South Pacific notes that almost all of Zipair and Japan Airlines’ flights to Honolulu have Midway as their main ETOPS alternate airport.
Midway also plays a key role on this front regarding flights between Asia and the mainland of the United States. If Henderson Field were to lose its ETOPS alternate certification as a result of not being upgraded, Qantas would also have to reconsider the routing for its forthcoming ultra-long-haul Project Sunrise flights to ensure that a suitable diversion remained in reach.
This, it said, would disrupt operations and increase costs, with these likely being passed on to passengers in the form of higher fares. As such, it is clear that the $100 million upgrade package is necessary in order to keep transpacific operations ticking over. While it is rare that flights have to divert to Midway, the costs of closing it would likely far outweigh those of keeping it open.
Commercial Aircraft Visits Are Rare But Not Unheard Of
While Midway has not seen scheduled commercial flights for 24 years, there has still been a history of commercial aircraft flying there in the intervening period. Most notably, a Continental Airlines Boeing 737 touched down there in 2008 as part of the 66th anniversary commemorations of the Battle of Midway. More recently, however, its main commercial aircraft visits have been emergency diversions.
As reported at the time by Simple Flying, September 2021 saw a Hawaiian Airlines Airbus A330 land there after developing an oil pressure issue on its way from Seoul (ICN) to Honolulu (HNL). As noted by Dispatcher, this was one of at least three such incidents between 2011 and 2021: the other two involved a Delta 747-400 in 2011 and a United 777 in 2014, both of which had over 300 passengers onboard.
