Fly the Whale tire blow out closes CEKA runway for two hours; VIPA calls for faster airline response

ST. THOMAS — The Virgin Islands Port Authority is calling for faster response from commuter airlines in addressing maintenance issues after a blown-out tire on a Fly the Whale flight closed the Cyril E. King Airport for two hours Monday on St. Thomas, according to VIPA Executive Director Carlton Dowe.

The airplane veered off the runway and safely stopped in the grass after blowing out a tire during landing, closing down the runway at 2:30 p.m. While the pilot and four passengers aboard were not injured, the incident delayed several inbound and outbound flights as the airline waited for a replacement tire to be flown from its hub on St. Croix before the plane could be removed, according to a VIPA news release. The airport resumed operations at 4:40 p.m.

“We are thankful that everyone onboard was unharmed,” Dowe said in a statement. “However, the long waiting time for the replacement part caused several delays and this is unacceptable. We will be meeting with all commuter airlines to discuss their operations to make sure they are prepared to quickly handle these types of situations at our airports.” Omer ErSelcuk, Fly the Whale’s general manager of commercial operations, said the airline has had three flat tires since beginning service in the Virgin Islands in April 2023 and completing about 24,000 operations.