Super Bowl Impact Spreads Wings to Crystal Airport
The Super Bowl is just five days away and many visitors are flying into regional airports, like Crystal Airport, for the big game.
About 41,000 airplanes fly in and out of the Crystal Airport each year. But that number is expected to increase during the Super Bowl.
“Here at Crystal, we anticipate about 150 or more additional aircraft,”said Philip Tiedeman, manager of the Crystal Airport.
If Flying Cloud and Anoka airports get a lot of traffic, they could be directed to fly into Crystal. Tiedeman says they’ve been getting ready for the Super Bowl, for about a year.
“We’ve been working with other partners on the field, like the FAA, the controllers, here to make sure we have plenty of staff,” said Tiedeman.
Officials are also implementing protocol changes for pilots. There are four runways at Crystal Airport, but starting Wednesday, only one will be operational. Officials say it will help cut down on confusion and help with air traffic flow. Officials will use the other runways to park planes. Meanwhile, Flying Cloud Airport officials in Eden Prairie say they have nearly sold out of reservations.
