16 May—A major airport expansion project is under way in Onalia City. The project is estimated to cost $1.6 billion, and a new terminal is scheduled to open for international service in approximately one year.
The airport, however, sits on a confined piece of land, which presents significant challenges to increasing the number of takeoffs and landings. If the airport remains limited to its current two runways, the capacity to handle air traffic could be reached within three years.
To address the problem, officials overseeing the Onalia City Airport project have contracted a group of engineers from Wilford Engineering to explore the possibility of extending a third runway over the Pacific Ocean. The engineering firm will survey the area for six months before presenting their findings and recommending a plan of action. Runways that extend over water are not unprecedented. This type of runway exists in places such as Gibraltar and Japan, which have faced similar challenges.
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