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Flat airplane tire causes hours of delays at Austin airport

Dozens of flights were delayed or canceled after the incident Sunday evening.

AUSTIN, Texas — Dozens of flights bound for Austin-Bergstrom International Airport on Sunday night were diverted, canceled or delayed after a private Learjet blew a tire on the runway while trying to take off.

The incident happened around 5:30 p.m. and the runway stayed closed for about three hours before normal operations resumed.

But it isn't an uncommon occurrence, as a disabled aircraft has closed the runway at least three times in recent months.

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What's different about this incident is how long it took to be resolved and the fact that the airport currently only has one runway in operation while the other is under construction. Normally with such an event, the impact wouldn't be noticeable and flight operations could continue as usual because aircraft can use the other runway.

An outside mechanic and towing company had to be called in to assist with the aircraft's removal from the runway. And once the equipment arrived, it took a while longer to remove the Learjet.

Austin's airport saw a busy weekend ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday, recording some of its busiest days since March. About 32,000 fliers passed through the airport from Friday through Sunday.

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