Staff Shortage at King Airport's Traffic Tower Leads to Delays; AA Flight Cancellation

Jan. 17—Travelers in and out of King Airport on Sunday were met with delays, and at least one flight had to be cancelled, after the airport's tower closed.

" The Virgin Islands Port Authority is advising the traveling public that the Cyril E. King Airport's air traffic control tower on St. Thomas is temporarily closed due to a staffing shortage," Jerome Sheridan, the Territorial Airport manager said in a statement released about 1 p.m. Sunday.

According to Sheridan, inbound airplanes were directed to communicate with the air-traffic services in San Juan, which is a standard backup procedure for the airport approved by the Federal Aviation Administration.

He added that " King Airport is open and operating as normal. However, some flight delays are expected. VIPA apologizes for any inconvenience and advises travelers to contact their airlines directly concerning flight schedules."

The statement did not note what led to the staffing shortage.

The tower reopened at 4 p.m. Sunday, according to a second statement issued by the authority.

It noted that American Airlines was the only airline that reported a cancellation, with a flight from Miami to St. Thomas cancelled Sunday.

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