US Gov’t mulls axing Midway Atoll as an ETOPs airport

By Andrew Curran.

The future of one of the Pacific's most famous, but least used, airports is under a cloud. The United States Government is considering whether it is worth spending more than USD100 million to upgrade and rehabilitate Midway Atoll Airport (MDY).

Situated in the north-central Pacific Ocean on US incorporated territory, Midway Atoll Airport, also known as Henderson Field, was built during World War II and served as a bomber airfield.

Today, the airport primarily serves as an emergency diversion airport for trans-Pacific flights. It is used in flight planning as an extended-range twin-engine operations (ETOPS) alternate airport under US federal aviation regulations.

However, the US Department of Transportation says Midway's infrastructure is deteriorating and will require significant investment and rehabilitation over the next three to five years to maintain its operational capability and compliance with the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) airport certification and ETOPS requirements.

"MDY is unique as a Part 139-certificated airport that is owned and operated by a department of the US Government, is not a joint-use airport, and serves a specific need in the global aviation system (trans-Pacific ETOPS flight planning for both military and commercial aircraft operations)," a July 24 Department of Transportation filing reads.

A rarely used aviation safety net

While thousands of trans-Pacific flights include Midway every year in their ETOPS flight planning, actual use of the airport is rare. Between 2003 and 2021, there were just 11 commercial and military aircraft diversions to Midway. The diverting aircraft included an Hawaiian Airlines A330 and a United Airlines B787-9.

However, to remain ETOPS compliant, Midway must continue to meet the FAA's Part 139 airport certification requirements. The FAA provides USD2.5 million annually to help with this, while the US Fish and Wildlife Service, which now owns the airport because the atoll is a wildlife conservation area, contributes another USD2.6 million each year. But a 2021 master plan estimates the remote airport requires around USD100 million of work to maintain ETOPS compliance.

"MDY's runway is expected to reach a severe level of deterioration within the next five years," the filing adds. "The estimated cost for major airfield rehabilitation at MDY exceeds USD100 million for milling, repaving, and seawall repairs – an amount significantly higher than the annual funding allocations. Additional non-airfield improvements, such as harbour upgrades to support the shipment of construction materials, may also be needed."

Accordingly, the Department of Transportation is seeking industry feedback on whether the investment is justified.

"If MDY (or any other airport) does not meet the FAA's Part 139 standards, the airport could not be used for ETOPS flight planning, and air carriers would be required to plan an alternate route of flight," the filing notes.

Early submissions favour keeping Midway ETOPS compliant

Early responses strongly favour maintaining Midway as an ETOPS airport.

Dillon Hanks, Director of Aviation and Lead Pilot for a US-based Part 91 flight department operating ultra-long-range aircraft, said Midway's value should not be judged solely by how often aircraft land there.

"Emergency resources are maintained for the consequences they mitigate, not the frequency of their use," he wrote. "We do not eliminate fire protection, emergency equipment, or redundant aircraft systems because they are rarely needed. Henderson Field provides comparable strategic redundancy in one of the world's most remote operating environments."

"This airfield is on every flight plan filed for our department as an option in the event of a diversion," said Tony Jackson, Aircraft Operations Manager for ExxonMobil. "My vote would be to keep the field in operational condition and secure funding to complete the rehabilitation project."

Other ETOPS options available says department

The Department of Transportation says there are other ETOPS alternate airports in the region, including Wake Island Airfield (AWK), Eareckson Air Station (SYA) and Majuro (MAJ).

However, a KaiserAir submission argues that keeping Midway as an option for westbound flights out of Hawaii is vital to the US national interest and aviation safety.

“We cannot create more land on which to put airports. But the Federal Government can, and has a responsibility to, maximize the capability of what exists,” KaiserAir’s submission reads.

"The FAA encourages air carriers to reduce their ETOPS diversion distances whenever possible to foster the highest level of safety for the travelling public. Reducing the number of available alternates in the Pacific Ocean is counter to that philosophy."

The Department of Transportation is accepting submissions until September 8. It is specifically asking the industry whether there are any routes that would be particularly affected by the loss of Midway as an ETOPS alternate airport, and what impact that would have on aircraft fuel consumption.

You can read the department's filing here.

Photo: Jon Bracks via US Fish and Wildlife Service.

Contact the writer: andrew@aerosouthpacific.com