A sudden oil leak from a small private aircraft triggered an hours-long shutdown of Lynden Pindling International Airport (LPIA)’s only active runway on Sunday, throwing flight schedules into disarray for travelers passing through the Bahamas’ busiest international gateway.
According to Nassau Airport Development Company (NAD), the spill was first detected on Runway 10/28 at approximately 12:19 p.m. local time. The closure was immediate, as emergency response crews and airside safety personnel rushed to the site to contain the leak, assess environmental and operational risks, and complete full cleanup operations. After 78 minutes of intensive work, the runway was cleared and reopened to air traffic at 1:37 p.m.
In total, the disruption impacted eight commercial flights: five departing outbound services and three incoming inbound flights. What made the incident particularly disruptive was LPIA’s current limited operational capacity. The airport’s second runway, Runway 14/32, has been fully closed since August 24 for a scheduled pavement rehabilitation project, which is on track to wrap up at the end of October. With only one runway available for regular operations, Sunday’s temporary shutdown left the country’s primary international airport completely without a usable runway for more than an hour.
NAD confirmed that its Airside Safety team and Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting personnel mobilized immediately after the spill was reported to mitigate hazards and speed up cleanup. An official investigation is now ongoing to pinpoint the root cause of the oil leak from the private aircraft. For passengers impacted by the Sunday schedule disruption, NAD has advised that travelers reach out directly to their respective airlines to get the most up-to-date flight information and rebooking options.
In an update on the ongoing runway rehabilitation project, the airport operator reaffirmed that construction remains on schedule, with Runway 14/32 set to resume full operations by the end of October as originally planned.