Manchester–Boston Regional Airport Closed Indefinitely

MANCHESTER – Airlines are scrambling to re-ticket customers as Manchester-Regional Airport has been shut down for the foreseeable future by federal authorities, owing to a particularly destructive infestation of beavers. “I’ve never seen anything like it in my life,” said airport manager Chip Smithington. “One minute it was business as usual, and the next… I’ve never seen the like.”

The first sign of trouble came early Saturday, as a Southwest Airlines 737 on landing rollout sustained damage to its starboard landing gear. Airport maintenance personnel conducted a routine sweep of the runway in use for debris, only to discover enormous potholes pockmarking vast swathes of the tarmac. When workers probed the depressions to determine if there was damage of further collapse, several beavers boiled from tunnels beneath the runway and attacked the workers. Three workers sustained injuries; they were transported to Elliot Hospital in downtown Manchester, where one remains in critical condition. Manchester Animal Control is currently cordoning off the area to attempt to contain the beavers, though the extent of the infestation is not yet known.

Federal Aviation Administration officials quickly informed all domestic carriers that Manchester-Boston Regional was closed for business, until the beavers could be neutralized and the runway damage repaired – a process which could take months and cost millions of dollars. Air traffic controllers rerouted flights that were already in route to surrounding fields, but airline officials have noted that re-ticketing customers who were expecting to return to Manchester on Sunday could take several days. “Given the fact that Boston Logan is also experiencing a backlog of travelers, thanks to ongoing strikes by the Airport Concessionaires Union, we’re advising travelers to stay where they are and plan to travel next weekend,” said FAA spokesman Frank Gaines. “Otherwise, your best bet is to rent a car.”