Minneapolis-St. Paul adds new runway
Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport debuted a fourth runway Thursday that increases airfield capacity by about 25 percent. The new runway, part of a multi-year expansion plan at the eighth-busiest airport in the world, allows for additional service and reduces the potential for flight delays. It previously was only able to operate two runways at the same time, according to the Metropolitan Airports Commission.
Runway construction began in spring 1999, but the slowdown in air travel after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks led local officials to back off plans to complete the project by late 2003.