ST. LOUIS, MO (ST. LOUIS PUBLIC RADIO) - The director of Lambert-St. Louis International Airport says it’s “amazing” that the tornado-damaged facility is up and running as well as it is.
Rhonda Hamm-Niebruegge says when she first surveyed the damage from the EF-3 tornado Friday night, she would not have expected to be able to handle 100 flights just 36 hours later. That’s about 70 percent of Lambert’s usual capacity.
“We had so much support and so many people pulled together and everyone went by the playbook as to who’s got to do what and organized stuff,” she said.
Hamm-Niebruegge says the heavily-damaged C Concourse remains closed indefinitely. “We took the four carriers that were there and relocated them. So it should not be an economic impact to us in terms of revenue because the airlines should be fully functional on their new homes," Hamm-Nierbruegge said.
She says the airport is structurally sound.
Insurance should pay for most of the repairs, she says, and the airport will also be looking for any state and federal assistance.
Rachel Lippman, St. Louis Public Radio
