Boston Logan’s Runway 9-27 Reopens Following Safety Upgrades

Boston Logan International Airport's Runway 9-27 reopened on Friday, Nov. 14, after more than two months of safety upgrade work. The runway had been closed since Sept. 2 as part of a project to install an engineered materials arresting system (EMAS). 

According to Massport, the EMAS consists of crushable concrete designed to safely slow aircraft. It's similar in concept to a runaway truck ramp and is part of FAA safety standards implemented at multiple airports.

According to a MassLive report, the safety feature is already in use on two other runways at Logan. Massport notes that the system does not extend the runway or reduce overall operational capacity.

During the runway's closure, average flight activity fell from about 50 to 40 flights per hour, said Bob Lynch, deputy director of operations at Massport, in a statement shared with NewsCenter 5 Boston.

More than 1,000 flights pass through Logan daily.

Massport is planning a second, 75-day closure for Runway 9-27 next year. That work is scheduled to begin sometime after July 1, 2026, according to MassLive.

Due to Logan's geography, crews are building some parts of the EMAS on water.

"We're working with the tide," Deputy Director of Airfield Projects Sara Dennechuk told NewsCenter 5. "We're working with barges coming in with precast. We have cranes on the land, cranes on the water, so it is a logistical tap dance to get all of this done in two 75-day windows."