Flights in and out of Cyril E. King Airport on St. Thomas were halted for more than two hours Monday afternoon after a Fly the Whale aircraft suffered a flat tire and veered off the runway, forcing a full closure.
The incident occurred at 2:30 p.m., delaying multiple flights as the airline worked to secure a replacement tire from its St. Croix hub. The airport remained shut down until 4:40 p.m., when normal operations resumed, according to a statement sent by Virgin Islands Port Authority Executive Director Carlton Dowe.
While no injuries were reported among the pilot and four passengers on board, Dowe condemned the prolonged delay in clearing the aircraft.
“We are thankful that everyone onboard was unharmed,” Dowe said. “However, the long waiting time for the replacement part caused several delays, and this is unacceptable. We will be meeting with all commuter airlines to discuss their operations to make sure they are prepared to quickly handle these types of situations at our airports.”
The temporary closure rippled across airline schedules, stranding travelers and causing disruptions for both inbound and outbound flights. The Port Authority is now pushing for faster response protocols from regional carriers to prevent similar incidents from paralyzing operations in the future, Dowe said.
