01/2017 - Santiago (STI) airport to close

I did not know where to put this , because I dit not see an STI ( SANTIAGO) Airport thread or similar Topic....

but if it needs to be moved then please if a mod can do it ..


Santiago AIRPORT will be CLOSING at NIGHT, starting March of this year , for about 3 Months , for some kind of Renovations or Maintenance work ?..
Supposedly 10PM to 7 AM
This coming from people who work there.. Not sure if its in the NEWS yet .
So PLAN your Spring Trip ACCORDINGLY...
I know some of us used to enjoy these Inexpensive evening and Night flights on Delta, Jet Blue et al . Those will no longer be happening based on this ..
So this may very also affect TICKET PRICES at other Times of the day and perhaps even at POP, which is the main reason I am posting this .

Well I already have a ticket for March that I purchased on sale for $300. Arriving at 2am and Returning home at 3am. So if this is true, maybe they are only closing sections and not the entire airport.

STI also serves as an emergency landing when POP closes, usually due to heavy rain.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by questner

STI also serves as an emergency landing when POP closes, usually due to heavy rain.

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I remember when this airport first opened.

Nothing in the NOTAMs, yet ... "NOTAMs," or Notices to Airmen, are bulletins that describe changes or interruptions to airports and airspace services.

As of today, this is all that's in the FAA list:

MDST

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Data Current as of: Fri, 06 Jan 2017 12:23:00 UTC

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MDST CIBAO INTL


A0388/16 - THR RWY 29 DISPLACED 30M,
DECLARED DIST RWY 11
TORA 2,590M, TODA 2,590M, ASDA 2,590M AND LDA 2,590M
DECLARED DIST RWY 29
TORA 2,620M TODA 2,620M, ASDA 2,620M AND LDA 2,590M. 08 NOV 20:00 2016 UNTIL
08 FEB 20:00 2017. CREATED: 03 NOV 21:02 2016

Translation --

Threshold of Runway 29 (the end of the runway you start on, taking off to the west) displaced 30 Meters
Declared distance Runway 11 (the end of the runway you start on, taking off to the east)
Take-Off Run Available 2,590M, Take-Off Distance Available 2,590M, Accelerate-Stop Distance Available 2,590M, and Landing Distance Available 2,590M
Declared distance Runway 29
Take-Off Run Available 2,620M, Take-Off Distance Available 2,620M, Accelerate-Stop Distance Available 2,620M, and Landing Distance Available 2,590M

I just took a look at the airport in Google Earth - the latest imagery is from September 2016. It looks to me as though they may need to do some repairs, and they may also be preparing to "top" the runway with a fresh layer of asphalt.

They DO NOT have a parallel taxiway they could use as a temporary runway, so if they've got cutting/paving machines out there, they'll have to close the runway to do their work.

http://news.insearchofchicas.org/for...d=139626&stc=1

Westy, Do you think its possible they might be thinking they can only use the Alternate Runway during DAYLIGHT Hours
But then that does not explain the 10 pm thing ...
It is rather strange, but something is in the works, especially if you consider the Flooding they had recently.


.. probably wont have completely accurate into until March actually arrives ..as it may constantly change as that runway continues to deteriorate in condition.
Would hate to think that they start cancelling flights, or just simply changing those Flights to POP for those hours ?, but then again that might not be so bad for some of us.

I tried searching Delta and Jet Blue from JFK and all those flights get in before 10pm from March for a few months

If you search later in the year they are back to the 1am stuff

So there probably is something to it

Likely they will be doing the work from 10pm until morning and than reopen it daily?

If anyone has early morning flights booked during that time they might want to make sure their flight is still happening when they think it is

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JD426

Westy, Do you think its possible they might be thinking they can only use the Alternate Runway during DAYLIGHT Hours
But then that does not explain the 10 pm thing ...

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I guess "don't" wasn't clear enough. STI airport DOES NOT have a parallel taxiway. I've edited my previous post to emphasize that, and to add a Google Earth image of the runway ... you can see the turn-around aprons on the runway's ends.

This isn't unusual at airports, serving international airlines, where there's a low volume of flights. Airliners will "back-taxi" to the departure end, e.g. the east end ("Runway 29") when the wind's out of the west, and take off from there. It takes a few extra minutes for each flight to depart, and no other aircraft can take off or land until the departing aircraft clears the runway, but if they only have a few flights an hour, it works OK that way.

I don't have an explanation for the 10 PM thing, only a guess -- they want to be open for traffic up until that time. Actually, J_D66 answered that in his post, after checking the flight schedules ... thank you!

Seeing how its the Dom Republic we are dealing with ,
I dont think they have a solid " Plan" yet, but I think thy KNOW they need to do Something, as there seems to be an Issue with that Runway...
They are definitely talking about it .. What they will or wont do, is not a certainty .. Hope they get some Experts in there to figure it out.

Sorry if anyone thinks i was trying to mislead them into thinking i know more than I do .


thank you Westy for the up to date Google Picture of the SINGLE Runway..

I could have sworn you had said they DID have an alternate runway ? , i never did see one but I did assume the had a TAXIWAY ? I guess one can not just turn the Taxiway into a Runway ..to use during the day.


sorry for my ignorance on such topics .

The wikipedia page (if you can believe the accuracy of wikipedia) has a little about a runway expansion as well as a taxiway

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cibao_...tional_Airport


Infrastructure[edit]

The Cibao International Airport infrastructure consists of the main international terminal, domestic terminal and a cargo terminal. The international terminal is the most utilized and receives most of the flights operating in here and it has modern installations to make easier the check-in, boarding and baggage climb processes.
The airport's owners are planning to expand the runway and the construction of the new taxiway next to the runway by the next year.

So that is likely work they could complete at night and still keep the runway open during the day

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JD426

Seeing how its the Dom Republic we are dealing with ,
I dont think they have a solid " Plan" yet, but I think thy KNOW they need to do Something, as there seems to be an Issue with that Runway...
They are definitely talking about it .. What they will or wont do, is not a certainty .. Hope they get some Experts in there to figure it out.

Sorry if anyone thinks i was trying to mislead them into thinking i know more than I do .


thank you Westy for the up to date Google Picture of the SINGLE Runway..

I could have sworn you had said they DID have an alternate runway ? , i never did see one but I did assume the had a TAXIWAY ? I guess one can not just turn the Taxiway into a Runway ..to use during the day.

sorry for my ignorance on such topics .

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My apologies for my excessive expertise in airport matters. :rolleyes:

There are a lot of airports, around the globe -- and I'm talking airline-served airports that can handle Boeing's "big iron" -- that do not have a taxiway parallel to the runway. You've got that same set-up at POP, as well as at Samana and La Romana; and you'll find similar airports throughout the Caribbean. The reason is simple -- a runway sturdy enough and long enough for a 500,000-lb airliner like an Airbus A330 is expensive to build, and adding a parallel taxiway nearly doubles the expense. It does, however, limit the number of flights the airport can handle; while your Airbus is back-taxing to the runway end, turning around, running up and taking off, the runway is closed to any other action.

For an airport like STI or POP, that doesn't have a lot of flights, this makes economic good sense; but it limits the operating capacity of the airport to something less than 10 operations (arrival or departure) per hour. It wouldn't work for airports as busy as Santo Domingo or Punta Cana. And as for hub airports, like Charlotte, NC or Miami, FL -- fuhgettaboutit!!! An awful lot of their concrete is devoted to places where cab-ranks of airliners can sit and wait for their turn to take off.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Westy

My apologies for my excessive expertise in airport matters. :rolleyes:

There are a lot of airports, around the globe -- and I'm talking airline-served airports that can handle Boeing's "big iron" -- that do not have a taxiway parallel to the runway. You've got that same set-up at POP, as well as at Samana and La Romana; and you'll find similar airports throughout the Caribbean. The reason is simple -- a runway sturdy enough and long enough for a 500,000-lb airliner like an Airbus A330 is expensive to build, and adding a parallel taxiway nearly doubles the expense. It does, however, limit the number of flights the airport can handle; while your Airbus is back-taxing to the runway end, turning around, running up and taking off, the runway is closed to any other action.

For an airport like STI or POP, that doesn't have a lot of flights, this makes economic good sense; but it limits the operating capacity of the airport to something less than 10 operations (arrival or departure) per hour. It wouldn't work for airports as busy as Santo Domingo or Punta Cana. And as for hub airports, like Charlotte, NC or Miami, FL -- fuhgettaboutit!!! An awful lot of their concrete is devoted to places where cab-ranks of airliners can sit and wait for their turn to take off.

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Tell me about it

The last time I flew into Santo Domingo there was a plane that had skidded off the only runway at that airport

We ended up circling the airport for 2 hours waiting for them to clear the runway before we could land.

They were minutes from diverting to Punta Cana

I always thought that an airport serving such a big city would have multiple runways but nope

One runway and a taxi way is all that is there.

Lot's of that stuff you don't really pay attention to until it affects you directly

Quote:

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Originally Posted by j_d66

The wikipedia page (if you can believe the accuracy of wikipedia) has a little about a runway expansion as well as a taxiway

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cibao_...tional_Airport


Infrastructure[edit]

The Cibao International Airport infrastructure consists of the main international terminal, domestic terminal and a cargo terminal. The international terminal is the most utilized and receives most of the flights operating in here and it has modern installations to make easier the check-in, boarding and baggage climb processes.
The airport's owners are planning to expand the runway and the construction of the new taxiway next to the runway by the next year.

So that is likely work they could complete at night and still keep the runway open during the day

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"Expand the runway" -- 2600 meters of runway is ample for a 777, but if they want 747s coming in from Europe, I guess they may need to lengthen it. As for a parallel taxiway -- there's plenty of room to the south of the runway, and I don't really see how that construction would interfere with the runway itself, save for the work of connecting it to the runway's ends.

Cibao International may be in for some busy and interesting times, not only in the next few months, but in years to come. Good for them!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by j_d66

I tried searching Delta and Jet Blue from JFK and all those flights get in before 10pm from March for a few months

If you search later in the year they are back to the 1am stuff

So there probably is something to it

Likely they will be doing the work from 10pm until morning and than reopen it daily?

If anyone has early morning flights booked during that time they might want to make sure their flight is still happening when they think it is

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Maybe it starts later in the month because my flights are still good. But this is good to know for the trip after this. Thanks.

http://news.insearchofchicas.org/for...8&d=1483768434

Quote:

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Originally Posted by psriches

Maybe it starts later in the month because my flights are still good. But this is good to know for the trip after this. Thanks.

Click to see pic

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Looks like you just lucked out it appears to start March 13 with Jet Blue

Quote:

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Originally Posted by psriches

Maybe it starts later in the month because my flights are still good. But this is good to know for the trip after this. Thanks.

Click to see pic

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Do you go right to work after you land on Monday? Weekend warrior PSR :wink:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Hunter

Do you go right to work after you land on Monday? Weekend warrior PSR :wink:

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Sometimes I do go straight to work. Sometimes I even leave straight from work. Bring my shit to work; and jump on the air train from the city straight to the terminal.

I remember back in 2004, when STI was still trying to get it's sea legs as a major hub, the NYC mongers would take that American airlines non-stop (direct) evening flight to puerto plata. So you'd leave work at 5pm, and be in Merengue bar by 10:30pm.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by j_d66

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Looks like you just lucked out it appears to start March 13 with Jet Blue

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So the dates appear to be March 14 to May 15. No late night flights arriving or departing from STI.

I notice they were very careful not to miss out on the Memorial weekend travelers.