One of Boston Logan Airport’s runways is currently undergoing construction, which will continue through mid-November. Passengers may expect delays during this work, particularly during the afternoon and evening hours.
The runway involved is runway 09/27. This closure began on 2 September 2025 and will involve two 75-day closures. This is the first of the set of closures, which will run through mid-November. The second closure will begin after 1 July 2026.
According to Massport, this runway work will enhanse the Runway Safety Area (RSA) at the end of runway 27 by installing an Engineered Material Arresting System (EMAS). This will work “to enhance safety for aircraft, passengers and crew during emergency situations.”
Runway 09/27 is a busy runway at Logan Airport, and its closure could potentially cause delays depending on wind and weather conditions.
Delays are expected to be more pronounced in the afternoon and evening hours.
According to FAA data for today, for example, the airport is expected to be able to handle 9 to 10 arrivals every 15 minutes, or 38 arrivals an hour:
Given that the number of arrivals is expected to exceed the arrival capacity throughout the day (shown by the red bars in the above figure), passengers may experience delays in the form of long approaches, delay vectors, or a ground delay program.
Massport stated similarly that “While this runway is closed, there will be an impact on the number of planes that can land and take off at Boston Logan. This could cause delays, especially if there are other impacts due to the weather or diversions, among other situations.”
This unfortunately was the case yesterday. According to FlightAware data, 314 arrivals, or 44% of arrivals into Boston, were delayed. Additionally, 193 departures, or 25% of departures out of Boston, were delayed.
That said, there are a lot of factors that go into this. If the winds favor operations that don’t involve the use of runway 09/27, passengers could be spared from much of the delays. Thanks to Logan Airport’s 3 other runways, it’s not an immediate guarantee of a delay, but it’s still something to be wary of over the next couple of months.
Admittedly, I was somehow unaware of this until yesterday, when I was wondering why Boston was at the top of the list of airport delays on Flightradar24. Delays are a pain to deal with, but it’s good to keep in mind that safety work is imperative. I often recommend flying in the morning for many reasons, and that will also apply for flying in and out of Boston during this runway closure.
Featured image by the author.
