No more canceled flights expected as runway construction continues at Pensacola Airport

Pensacola, Florida (WKRGMore) — No more flight cancellations expected at Pensacola International Airport for a busy travel weekend.

Last week, an electrical fire knocked out the lights on one of the runways, causing after-dark flight delays and cancellations.

“It was a big blow to the system. It was a pretty big fire,” said airport director Matt Coughlin. “Out of 140 flights, we lost a total of 7 due to cancellations.”

When the runway lights went out, the other runway was already closed for construction, but the airport reopened the runway early to allow flights to continue. Investigations are continuing to determine the cause of the fire.

“It could have been lightning or something else, but we don’t know what caused it, but we’ll look into it,” Coughlin said. “Our main objective now is to achieve 100 percent of everything.”

The Pensacola City Council on Thursday night accepted a grant of more than $1 million for the installation of runway protection lights.

“You’ll see a flashing yellow light on the ground directly across from you,” Coughlin said. “Those are runway guard lights. Not currently in Pensacola. This is another mitigation for errant pilots who could cross the line without proper clearance, safety. It is only a mitigation measure for

Coughlin said the lighting was at about 90 percent and wouldn’t interfere with anyone’s flight this Memorial Day weekend.