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ELKO, Nev. (AP) — Flights to and from Elko are on hold until Monday after an inspection found markings missing on about 1,000 feet of runway.
The FAA notified the Elko Regional Airport on Thursday that it had to close the runway. FAA Pacific division public affairs manager Ian Gregor said it's a safety issue, and that regulations require airports to mark reconstructed runways, the Elko Daily Free Press reported (http://bit.ly/1MDRmMm).
Markings were obscured by a fog seal applied to the runway during reconstruction that Elko Regional Airport director Mark Gibbs said was approved and largely funded by the FAA. Gibbs said the FAA had ordered the airport to inform airmen about irregular markings.
He said the airport plans to issue a formal complaint against the FAA.
"We were not given an opportunity to provide any advanced warning (to passengers)," Gibbs said.
He said at no time during the three-day review did the inspector bring up the issue. Gregor said the "inspector immediately informed the airport of his findings."
SkyWest Airlines official Wes Horrocks says typically, two round trip flights run on weekdays and one is scheduled on Saturdays and Sundays.
"We're working with Delta to make sure they're contacting all those passengers to reschedule," Horrocks said.
Flights are set to resume Monday with a flight scheduled to land before 2 p.m.
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Information from: Elko Daily Free Press, http://www.elkodaily.com
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