Thunderstorms from Thursday’s tropical wave temporarily closed the Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan. The closure and bad weather caused several airlines to divert flights headed for San Juan to St. Thomas and to delay flights departing from Miami for St. Thomas, the V.I. Port Authority indicated in a press release issued Thursday.
Cyril E. King Airport manager Jose Nazario said the Delta Air Lines flight from JFK International Airport in New York to San Juan was diverted to St. Thomas. Delta’s flight from Atlanta to St. Thomas arrived as normal.
Additionally two American Airlines flights from Miami to St. Thomas were delayed. One American flight from JFK to San Juan and one American flight from Chicago to San Juan were diverted to St. Thomas.
The JetBlue flight from JFK to San Juan was diverted to St. Thomas. A Liat flight from Antigua to San Juan was diverted to St. Thomas. One Seaborne Airlines flight from Tortola to San Juan was diverted to St. Thomas.
A Cape Air flight left St. Thomas for San Juan at 11 a.m. but returned to St. Thomas at 12:17 p.m. due to San Juan airport’s closure. The flight was canceled and rescheduled for later Thursday afternoon.
United Airlines experienced a mechanical delay unrelated to the storm, and the Spirit Airlines arrived in St. Thomas on time, Nazario said.
He said that all the airlines were immediately notified that San Juan airport reopened at 2:55 p.m. They all continued to their destinations.
The American flight from Miami to St. Croix’s Henry E. Rohlsen Airport was 1.5 hours late.
As of 7:40 p.m., there were no reports of other flight delays or diversions at the Henry E. Rohlsen International Airport on St. Croix.
