The aviation industry took a hit last month from Hurricanes Gustav and Ike. The back-to-back storms affected more than a dozen airports along the Gulf Coast, resulting in temporary flight restrictions, numerous airport closures and short-term loss of ATC services.
Hurricane Gustav made landfall as a strong Category II storm on September 1 and forced airports in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas to close. Most of the closures were due to power outages, according to Addie Fanguy, regional vice president and general manager of Million Air New Orleans at Lakefront Airport. “As bad as Hurricane Gustav was, it didn’t affect the airport,” Fanguy said. “A little water came over the north end of the airport, but we were closed for two days because of electricity issues.” Lakefront, the designated evacuation airport for New Orleans, was closed to the public but remained open for military and corporate relief flights.
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